Oct. 12, 2017
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State rowing team begins its 2017-18 slate this Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Row for the Cure regatta. The event, hosted by UC San Diego, will run at North Ski Beach on Mission Bay and raises money and awareness for Susan G. Komen San Diego.
The Aztecs will enter four boats in the open eight at 7:40 a.m., where they will face host UCSD, as well as USD. At 9 a.m., SDSU will have three boats face off against the Tritons and Toreros in the open four, while freshman Anastasia Vontzou will race in a single at 9:20 a.m. Final race results will be available on GoAztecs.com.
Following SDSU's three events, the team is set to christen a four boat in honor of the late Duke Robinson, a prominent fixture in the local rowing community. Son of SDSU alumna Patty Wyatt, Robinson committed much of his life to rowing in greater San Diego area, most notably as the first coach at USD and as an organizer and board member of the San Diego Crew Classic for several years. Robinson's presence spanned beyond the community as he served in management capacities for the board of the national governing body, now USRowing, and organized various national and international regattas, including the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The Row for the Cure, which was established in 2002, raises money from entry fees, donations and raffle tickets with all proceeds going directly to the Komen for the Cure and the fight against breast cancer. Of the funds raised, 75 percent are directed toward the San Diego community to support uninsured and underinsured women with breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and services. The remaining 25 percent goes directly to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Award and International Research Grant Programs.
At last year's event, SDSU had eight entrants over the span of the three events--three in the open eight race, two novice eight boats, and three in the open four. The Aztecs claimed send, third and eighth place finishes in last year's open eight, while they nabbed the top two spots in the novice eight event and SDSU's open four boats finished in second, fourth and sixth.
For more information about the regatta or to make a donation to the Susan G. Komen foundation, visit www.komensandiego.org.