Gonzaga University
WIRA Championships
Gonzaga Men's Varsity Eight Second At WIRA
5/4/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Crew
May 4, 2003
SACRAMENTO, Calif - Gonzaga University's men's varsity eight finished a close second at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Grand Final on Sunday.
The Bulldogs finished in 6:02.2 and fell by a half a boat length to UC Davis which crossed the finish line of the 2,000-meter Lake Natoma course in 6:00.8. Orange Coast College edged Western Washington University for third, both boats timed in 6:08.3 but OCC crossing the line first. Timing was not taken to the hundredths of a second.
"We had a solid race," Gonzaga head coach Dan Gehn said. "OCC and Davis got off to about a five or six seat lead through the first 500 meters and we cut it to 2-3 seats with about 800 meters to go and were pushing for the lead. We pulled away from Orange Coast and Western Washington in the last 500 meters."
Gonzaga's varsity eight consisted of coxswain Elaine Parry, Mark Voorhees, Pat Haffey, Connor Barry, Nathan Wilson, Ben Foley, Jeff Kiely, Brad Hughes and Mike Baisch. Voorhees, Hughes and Kiely were All-WIRA first-team selections.
Gonzaga's second varsity eight finished fourth in the Grand Final in 6:28.5. UC Davis won the race in 6:17.9, followed by UC Irvine in 6:24.9 and Orange Coast in 6:26.7. Gonzaga was followed across the line by Santa Clara University (6:29.9), Loyola Marymount University (6:49.0 and Willamette University (6:55.4).
The final competition of the season will be this Saturday and Sunday at the ECAC Championships in Camden, NJ. The event, by invititation only, replaces what was previously known as the Avaya Championship. Gonzaga's varsity eight will be the lone Bulldog entry.
Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA)May 4, 2003 - Lake Natoma - Sacramento, Calif.
Gonzaga Results
Varsity Eight
Grand Final - 1. UC Davis 6:00.8, 2. Gonzaga 6:02.2, 3. Orange Coast 6:08.3, 4. Western Washington 6:08.3, 5. Santa Clara 6:11.8, 6. Sacramento State 6:19.5.
Second Varsity Eight
Grand Final - 1. UC Davis 6:17.9, 2. UC Irvine 6:24.9, 3. Orange Coast 6:26.7, 4. Gonzaga 6:28.5, 5. Santa Clara 6:29.9, 6. Loyola Marymount 6:49.0, 7. Willamette 6:55.4.
