Women's Rowing Wins Two Races At Oregon State Regatta
3/9/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
DEXTER LAKE, Ore. - The Gonzaga University women's rowing team began its spring season Saturday with mixed results at the Oregon State University Regatta. The Bulldogs battled 15-20 mile-per-hour winds on Dexter Lake to win two races, place second in another and claim two third-places finishes.
"Today was a mixed bag," explained Gonzaga head coach Glenn Putyrae. "Both Varsity 4+ boats won and rowed really well but the other three boats struggled. It was a bit of a disappointment as we felt like we had prepared well to compete, but the product didn't match what our preparation was."
Both the Varsity 4+ and the Second Varsity 4+ won their respective races. The Varsity 4+ defeated Oregon State in a time of 7:52.14, while the Second Varsity 8+ closed out the 2,000-meter course in a winning time of 7:57.08.
"Both the Varsity and Second Varsity 4+ did a great job handling the conditions," stated Putyrae. "It was great to see both of them do so well."
All three of the other boats - the Varsity 8+, Second Varsity 8+ and the Novice 8+ - struggled on the water. The intense wind on Dexter Lake made for moderate chop in the water the first 1250-meters and heavy rollers and white capping at times in the final 750-meters.
The Varsity 8+ finished behind both Oregon State and Victoria, closing out the course in 6:46.28. Oregon State won the race with a five-second win over Victoria at 6:44.77.
"We looked very flustered and not very composed," explained Putyrae of his marquee boat. "We each were dealing with the same water but we didn't handle it very well."
The Second Varsity 8+ had a great race until there was around 600-700-meters left. Leading both Oregon State and Victoria by nearly a full boat each, a Bulldog rower caught a crab, which forced the boat to stop and restart. Within that time, Oregon State caught up to the Zags and then passed them for the win.
The Beavers winning time was 7:03.59. The Bulldogs claimed second at 7:10.13.
The Novice 8+ race was a struggle for each boat due to the weather conditions.
"Given the conditions for the coxswains and rowers in their first race, it took a long time to get the boats line up," explained Putyrae.
Nearly 500-meters into the race, the Bulldog boat caught a crab, which once again forced the race to stop and, this time, restart the race. Meters later the Zag boat and Oregon State boat ran into each other. That forced the race into a rolling start for each boat and the final 1,500-meters.
The finishing order in that race was Victoria (4:52.45), Oregon State (5:05.85) and Gonzaga (5:22.64).
Gonzaga now prepares for Sacramento State Invitational, set for Saturday, March 15 in Sacramento, Calif.
Oregon State/University of Victoria/Gonzaga Regatta Results
Saturday, March 8, 2014 - Dexter Lake, Ore.
Varsity 8+
1. Oregon State, 6:39.73
2. Victoria, 6:44.77
3. Gonzaga, 6:46.28
Second Varsity 8+
1. Oregon State, 7:03.59
2. Gonzaga, 7:10.13
3. Victoria, 7:18.28
Varsity 4+
1. Gonzaga, 7:52.14
2. Oregon State, 8:00.2
Second Varsity 4+
1. Gonzaga, 7:57.08
2. Oregon State, 8:23.06
Novice 8+
1. Victoria, 4:52.45
2. Oregon State, 5:05.85
3. Gonzaga, 5:22.64
GONZAGA LINEUPS:
Varsity 8+: Naseeb Bhangal, Kara Soucek, Devyn Bell, Maddie Turbes, Brooklyn Beeler, Malori McGill, Casey Burt, Sarah Atkins, Madeleine Verspieren.
Second Varsity 8+: Laura Brasch, Madison Keaty, Becca Benoit, Erin Russell, Ingrid Stansberry, Alyssa Bashor, Jordan Davies, Meghan McCallum, Victoria Olney.
Varsity 4+: Megan Dennison, Wendy Wigg, Brenna Brown, Elenor Hammond, Briana Ledoux.
Second Varsity 4+: Jordan Schroeder, Hannah Brown, Lily Rorick, Megan Carroll, Natalie Potts.
Novice 8+: Sharon Henzler, Clare Manthey, Shaylee Kieffer, Nia Rivers, Carly Rix, Kamrin Sorenson, Olivia Marsh, Patricia Costanzo, Emma Wantanbe.
