Women Rowers Advance Four Boats
4/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Crew
April 30, 2005
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. - Gonzaga University's women's rowing team won three heats and advanced all four boats to Sunday's Grand Final of the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships at Lake Natoma in preliminary heats on Saturday.
The Bulldogs varsity 8+, junior varsity 8+ and novice 4+ all won heats, while the Bulldogs varsity 4+ finished second in its heat to advance to Sunday's Grand Final.
The varsity 8+ Gonzaga took a 4-second victory over West Coast Conference foe University of San Diego, the Bulldogs finishing in 7:06.4 to the Toreros 7:10.4 Gonzaga will be pitted against Sacramento State University, Loyola Marymount University, Western Washington University, the University of Puget Sound and USD in the Grand Final.
The JV8+ claimed a 5-second victory over UPS, the Bulldogs crossing the line in 7:20.5 to the 7:25.7 of UPS. The Bulldogs will be joined in the Grand Final by Sacramento State, UC-Davis, San Diego State University, UPS and LMU.
The novice 4+ took a 10-second victory over UC-Santa Barbara, Gonzaga finishing in 7:47.5 to UCSB's 7:57.6. In addition to Gonzaga, Sunday's Grand Final will include Sac State, the University of California at San Diego, Saint Mary's College, UC-Santa Barbara and the University of California Lightweights.
The varsity 4+ finish was close, West Coast Conference rival SMC coming across in 7:37.0 to edge the Bulldogs who finished in 7:39.1. That put both WCC schools into the Grand Final where they will be challenged by Western Washington University, Seattle Pacific University, Long Beach State University and the University of Oregon.
"We rowed very well," Gonzaga head coach Glenn Putyrae said. "I felt we were in control. The varsity four was just a very competitive race."
As for the Bulldogs chances on Sunday, Putyrae said "we have as good a chance as anybody. I think we'll have to have a good race to win, but all the boats are very capable of that."
The varsity 8+ was comprised of junior coxswain Erin Palmiter (Kalispell, Mont.), junior stroke Kari Durgan (Vancouver, Wash.), senior Karen O'Hagan (Tucson, Ariz.), freshman Cory Nelson (Reno, Nev.), sophomore Jessica Kocarnik (Portland, Ore.), freshman Stephanie Murphy (Puyallup, Wash.), freshman Courtney Haia (Waimanlo, Hawaii), junior Sarah Allison (Highland Ranch, Colo.) and sophomore bow Nicole Aadland-Lewis (Bothell, Wash.).
The JV8+ boat seated freshman coxswain Joan Aubry (Olympia, Wash.), junior stroke Jenni Cooper (Seattle, Wash.), senior Carolyn Schepper (Sammamish, Wash.), sophomore Teresa Archuleta (Altadena, Calif.), sophomore Heather Jewell (Oak Harbor, Wash.), freshman Grace Wallace (Jackson Hole, Wyo.), freshman Kelsey Koenig (Everett, Wash.), junior Mariah Smith-Miloff (Billings, Mont.) and freshman bow Kathryn Kocarnik (Portland, Ore.).
Rowing in the varsity 4+ were sophomore coxswain Mimi Refuerzo (Vancouver, Wash.), sophomore stroke Liz Sambach (Scottsdale, Ariz.), junior Cherami Cadwell (Richland, Wash.), freshman Kelsey Raap (Cheyenne, Wyo.) and senior bow Brittany Price (Lake Oswego, Ore.)
The novice 4+ was made up of coxswain Aubry, freshman stroke Whitney Patrick (Spokane), freshman Julie Smetana (Lansford, ND), freshman Sara Amatuzio (Englewood, Colo.) and freshman bow Jennifer Pierce (Anchorage, Alaska).
For complete race results visit the web at http://www.row2k.com.
Women Varsity 8+ - 1. Gonzaga 7:06.4. 2. San Diego 7:10.4. 3. UC-Davis 7:10.5. 4. UC-Irvine 7:28.9. 5. Humboldt State 7:32.3. 6. UC-San Diego 7:42.0
Women's Junior Varsity 8+ - 1. Gonzaga 7:20.5. 2. Puget Sound 7:25.7. 3, Loyola Marymount 7:26.9. 4. San Diego 7:38.9. 5. Lewis-Clark College 7:42.9. 6. Humboldt State 7:55.5.
Varsity 4+ - 1. Saint Mary's 7:37.0. 2. Gonzaga 7:39.1. 3. Orange Coast 7:54.8. 4. Santa Clara 7:58.7. 5. UC-Santa Barbara 8:20.0. 6. Lewis-Clark College 8:29.3. 7. Evergreen State College 8:51.4.
Women's Varsity 4+ - 1. Gonzaga 7:47.5. 2. UC-Santa Barbara 7:57.6. 3. Pacific Lutheran 8:10.0. 4. Portland 8:21.9. 5. Sonoma State 8:57.9.
