April 28, 2007
LAKE NATOMA, SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The San Diego State rowing team advanced three boats to the grand final on the first day of the WIRA Championships Saturday on Lake Natoma in Sacramento, Calif. The final races will be held Sunday morning.
The Aztecs' stellar day was highlighted by the Novice Eight boat, which edged host Sacramento State by less than a second with a time of 7 minutes, 19.8 seconds.
Also impressive was the Junior Varsity Eight boat, which took second with a time of 7:02.1, over 13 seconds ahead of third-place Western Washington.
"The (Junior) Varsity Eight had a very consistent race today," head coach Jennifer Zebroski said. "They looked and felt very comfortable during the race while hitting their stroke rate with great ratio. I am excited to see them perform in the grand final."
In the Varsity Eight race, SDSU finished third at 6:56.6, advancing to the grand final at 11:50 a.m. Sunday.
"The Varsity Eight could not get into a rhythm until half way through the race today," Zebroski said. "They finally managed to get into the groove and maintain ratio at the 1,000-meter mark where they made a move on Santa Clara, University of Puget Sound and UCSB. We need to settle into our rhythm right after the start tomorrow. With that one change we will hopefully have a good showing."
In other action, SDSU's Varsity Four boat took fifth of six in its heat with a time of 8:09.6 and will compete in the third final on Sunday.
The Junior Varsity Eight will race at 10:30 a.m. Sunday in the grand final with the Novice Eight set for the 10 a.m. Grand Final.
2007 WIRA Championships
Lake Natoma - Sacramento, Calif.
April 28, 2007
(SDSU heats only)
Varsity Eight (Heat 1)
(Top 3 move on to Sundays grand final)
1. Gonzaga - 6:45.3
2. Western Washington - 6:51.0
3. San Diego State - 6:56.6
4. UC Santa Barbara - 6:59.6
5. Puget Sound - 7:00.0
6. Santa Clara - 7:02.3
Junior Varsity Eight (Heat 1)
(Top 3 move on to Sunday's grand final)
1. Gonzaga - 6:56.4
2. San Diego State - 7:02.1
3. Western Washington - 7:15.5
4. San Diego - 7:22.8
5. St. Mary's - 7:29.1
6. Humbolt - 7:35.2
7. Chapman - 8:21.8
Novice Eight (Heat 3)
(Top 2 move on to Sunday's grand final)
1. San Diego State - 7:19.8
2. Sacramento State - 7:20.5
3. St. Mary's - 7:31.2
4. UC Irvine - 7:45.6
5. Chapman - 7:53.2
6. Pacific - 8:00.1
Varsity Four (Heat 3)
(Top 2 move on to Sunday's grand final, 3-4 to petite final, 5-6 to third final)
1. Orange Coast College - 7:52.5
2. Sacramento State - 7:58.7
3. Evergreen State - 8:03.2
4. Pacific Lutheran - 8:05.0
5. San Diego State - 8:09.6
6. Lewis and Clark - 8:46.0