May 2, 2004
SACRAMENO, Calif. - The San Diego State women's crew team wrapped up a successful weekend at the WIRA (Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association) Championships at Lake Natoma on Sunday with a pair of first-place finishes by the novice and lightweight boats. The varsity boat placed third in the petite final and the junior varsity was fifth in the grand final.
The novice eight boat won the grand final with a time of 7:05.4, outpacing Sacramento State (7:10.2) and placing first of 19 boats overall.
"The novice eight had an amazing grand final," head coach Jennifer Zebroski said. "They stayed solid and consistent throughout both races this weekend. With their results, we look to have them keep improving and become great varsity athletes in the years to come."
The lightweight boat, ranked No. 12 in this week's USRowing national poll, won the grand final (7:16.3), beating out No. t9 Cal (7:22.8), Pacific Lutheran (7:46.8) and No. 15 UC San Diego (8:05.0).
"The lightweight eight had a great final," Zebroski said. "They had been beaten by Cal at the San Diego Crew Classic and were able to come back and gain water on them today, beating them by open water at the end. I'm really pleased with their results."
The junior varsity eight finished fifth in the grand final, crossing the finish line in 7:17.0. Sacramento State won the event with a 6:59.0 finish.
"I'm disappointed in the placing," Zebroski said. "They had a strong heat, but did not fare well in the final. We're looking to the Pac-10 Championships (on May 16) for a consistent race as they have been up and down."
In the varsity eight petite final, San Diego State placed third with a 7:06.9 time, trailing only Western Washington (7:02.8) and Santa Clara (7:03.9), and beating out the University of San Diego (7:08.2).
"I'm happy that finally at the conference championships, we were able to get ahead of USD," Zebroski said. "We had been battling them all year and finally were able to beat them. I'm proud of the varsity eight's performance as they had two strong races and felt that they had put their best effort forward.
"Overall, I'm very proud of our performances at the championship regatta. It shows promise for next year as we continue improving our performances, including our strength and technique. We're looking to place in the top three at all events (at WIRAs) in years to come."
The Aztecs next compete at the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships on May 15 and the Pac-10 Rowing Championships on May 16. Both regattas will be back at Lake Natoma in Sacramento, Calif.