Gonzaga University
UC Davis (Dual)
Gonzaga, UC Davis Split Four Races
4/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Crew
April 17, 2004
MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. - Gonzaga University and UC Davis split four races Saturday at Silver Lake, the Bulldog women taking the varsity eight race while the Gonzaga men dropped the varsity eight contest by three seconds.
The women's varsity eight of coxswain Courtney Serpa, stroke Maria Bokulich, Carolyn Schepper, Kari Durgan, Jessica Kocarnik, Kristi Aamodt, Karen O'Hagan, Nicole Aadland-Lewis and bow Heather Jewell took nearly a seven-second victory in defeating UC Davis 6:51.85-6:58.24. The boat had a new makeup this weekend with freshmen Jewell and Aadland-Lewis among the changes, joining Kocarnik to give head coach Glenn Putyrae three freshmen.
The men's varsity eight of coxswain Elaine Parry, stroke Mark Voorhees, Pat Haffey, Max Malotky, Nathan Wilson, Mathew Wernette, Ben Foley, Connor Barry and box David Hinshaw put up a strong race, UC Davis crossing the line in 6:00.38 to edge the Bulldogs who posted a 6:03.41. The boat had two changes with Parry returning as the coxswain and Foley making his first appearance since spending a semester in the study aborad program in Florence, Italy.
Both head men's coach Dan Gehn and Putyrae were pleased with the varsity performances.
"We had an aggressive, solid race," Gehn said. "There was a little let off in the third 500 meters, but overall I thought we did a good job," Gehn said. "We were down about two seats after 1,000 meters and they extended the lead to six seats in the next 500."
Gehn said he thinks the effort gives the Bulldogs a strong case for the third seed in the upcoming Western Intercollegiate Racing Association (WIRA) Championships May 1-2.
"Orange Coast and UC Davis are probably 1-2, and I think we're third. We lost to UC San Diego, but you have to remember we hit a buoy. Based on times I think we have the seeding edge," Gehn said.
"This is a great relief," Putyrae said as he juggled his lineup looking for a faster boat. "We needed this race. This is a fast boat that will only get faster. They've only rowed together twice."
Putyrae and the Bulldogs are gearing for the West Coast Conference Championship April 30 followed by WIRA the following two days, with Loyola Marymount University given perhaps the best shot at halting Gonaga's run of seven straight WCC titles in as many championships.
"LMU beat us by about nine seconds in head-to-head earlier this year. But this boat today is faster (than our earlier boats)," Putyrae said of the upcoming WCC Championship showdown that is based on a points system off results of varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four races.
While the varsity races drew the majority of the attention on Saturday, the closest races came in the women's JV eight and the men's freshmen/novice eight. The Bulldogs' third varsity eight won the JV eight with a 7:02.41, Gonzaga's third varsity eight was second in 7:05.16 and UC Davis was third in 7:06.19 as second and third was a virtual dead heat. UC Davis won the men's freshman/novice eight in 6:17.77 to the Bulldogs' 6:19.14 in another close finish.
The Gonzaga men's freshman/novice eight on Saturday consisted of coxswain Lauren Gadeken, stroke Malotky, Hinshaw, Wernette, Derek Clemmensen, James Toshack, Geoff Hills, Matt White and bow Brad Jonnes. The GU women's second varsity eight was comprised of coxswain Melissa Hayes, stroke Mariah Smith-Miloff, Bridget Troy, Teresa Archuletta, Jess Nestor, Jenni Cooper, Maria Fussell, Joni Goodman and box Sarah Allison. Gonzaga's third varsity eight that took the surprising win consisted of coxswain Erin Palmiter, stroke Jessica Michaels, Hilda Morones, Brittany Price, Courtney Cline, Kristen Reed, Ann Parker, Brianna Morin and bow Alison Cushman. The second varsity eight has shown a 22-second improvement this season, while the third varsity eight has improved by 32 seconds. But Saturday's result leaves some question marks about the makup of the second varsity eight for the upcoming WCC and WIRA competitions.
The Bulldog women will be back on the water Sunday when they host WCC foe Saint Mary's College at Silver Lake. The varsity four will race at 10 a.m., the JV four will go off at 10:45 a.m. and the varsity eight will race at 11:30 a.m. SMC and Washington State University's women will race in the afternoon.
Both the Gonzaga men's and women's varsity will be at the Washington State University Invitational next Saturday in the final tuneup prior to the WCC and WIRA races.
Gonzaga-UC Davis DualSilver Lake - Medical Lake, WA
All races 2,000 meters
Women's Varsity Eight - 1, Gonzaga 6:51.85. 2, UC Davis 6:58.24. Men's Varsity Eight - 1, UC Davis 6:00.38. 2, Gonzaga 6:03.41. Women's JV Eight - 1, GU-B 7:02.41. 2, GU-A 7:05.16. 3, UC Davis 7:06.19. Men's Freshmen/Novice Eight - 1, UC Davis 6:17.77. 2, Gonzaga 6:19.14.
