ROWING CAPTURES THIRD WIRA TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS
5/3/2009
GOLD RIVER, Calif. – Sacramento State’s women’s varsity eight, second varsity eight, novice eight, second novice eight, varsity four and novice four each finished among the top six boats in their respective grand finals to earn the Hornets the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships team trophy Sunday morning at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center. Crews were dealing with rain and cross winds throughout the day.
Today marks the third time in four years (2006, 2007) the Hornets have won the WIRA team points trophy, as the WIRA’s serve as the program’s conference championship regatta. Teams accumulate points with finishes in grand final events, and the Hornets were able to earn enough points with top six finishes in six different grand finals to win the team title. The Hornets’ total of 360 points were better than second-place Gonzaga (352) and third-place UC Davis (347).
Sacramento State had advanced each of its six boats (V8, 2V8, N8, 2N8, V4, N4) to today’s grand finals based on their solid heat times yesterday. It also marked the first time in school history that each of those boats had reached a WIRA grand final in the same year.
"I'm proud of our squad for capturing the team championship," Sacramento State head coach Mike Connors said. "It was a total team effort as all six of our boats needed to reach the grand finals to have a shot at the title, and they accomplished that. We would have liked to medal in more events, but overall, it was a successful weekend."
The WIRA team title represents the fourth conference championship this year for the Sacramento State athletics program. The Hornets have also won conference titles during the year in men’s tennis, women’s tennis and men’s golf. The athletics department has now amassed 20 conference championships since the beginning of the 2006-07 academic year. Sacramento State has a total of 20 intercollegiate programs.
The varsity eight title, which is the biggest race in magnitude, went to Gonzaga who crossed the 2,000-meter finish line with a time of 6:48.9. For Gonzaga, it marked the program’s third straight and fifth varsity eight championship in the last eight years (2002, 2005, 2007-09). Sacramento State finished second with a time of 6:50.1, trailing Gonzaga’s winning time by just 1.2 seconds. Both boats were battling back and forth as neither crew opened up a lead larger than three seats the entire way.
The silver medal for the Hornets marked the ninth time the team had medaled in the WIRA varsity eight grand final since the program gained intercollegiate status in 1995. Rounding out the top six places in this year’s grand final were San Diego (6:52.2), Saint Mary’s (7:00.0), UC Davis (7:01.4) and San Diego State (7:10.3). Sacramento State seniors Megan Riggs and Anne Morrison as well as junior Holly Hopkins, who each competed with the team’s varsity eight, were each named first team all-WIRA team.
"The varsity eight raced a solid race, and it was a tough one to lose," Connors said. "They raced hard and gave everything they had, but we just couldn't overtake Gonzaga."
Sacramento State grand final finishes today included the second varsity eight (5th), novice eight (3rd), second novice eight (6th), varsity four (6th) and novice four (5th). The Hornets were the only team at the 31-school competition that advanced boats to the grand final of all six of those events.
Sacramento State’s bronze medal in the novice eight marked the first time the team has medaled in the event since 2006. Gonzaga won the novice eight with a time of 6:57.0, followed by Western Washington (6:59.6), Sacramento State (7:06.9) and UC Davis (7:11.7) to round out the top four in the six-boat field.
The remaining times for the Hornets’ grand final participants can be found below. All six Sacramento State boats reached their grand final events by placing among the top two boats in their respective heats yesterday.
Sacramento State returns to the water next week (May 8-9) when the team competes in the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia. At last year’s Dad Vail, the Hornets won a silver medal in the Women’s Varsity Heavyweight Eight event.
VARSITY FOUR GRAND FINAL
1. Gonzaga 7:34.7
2. UC Irvine 7:38.0
3. San Diego 7:42.5
4. San Diego State 7:46.5
5. UC Davis 7:53.0
6. Sacramento State 7:14.7
7. Santa Clara 7:24.7
NOVICE FOUR GRAND FINAL
1. Loyola Marymount 7:37.6
2. Western Washington 7:46.9
3. Portland State 8:06.7
4. San Diego 8:11.4
5. Sacramento State 8:16.4
SECOND NOVICE EIGHT GRAND FINAL
1. UC Davis 7:24.7
2. San Diego State 7:29.7
3. UC Santa Barbara 7:31.9
4. San Diego 7:36.9
5. Humboldt State 7:45.3
6. Sacramento State 7:52.2
7. UC San Diego 8:31.4
NOVICE EIGHT GRAND FINAL
1. Gonzaga 6:57.0
2. Western Washington 6:59.6
3. Sacramento State 7:06.9
4. UC Davis 7:11.7
5. San Diego State 7:12.0
6. Orange Coast College 7:12.3
SECOND VARSITY EIGHT GRAND FINAL
1. Gonzaga 7:07.1
2. San Diego 7:10.8
3. San Diego State 7:14.1
4. UC Davis 7:21.3
5. Sacramento State 7:23.3
6. Loyola Marymount 7:39.8
VARSITY EIGHT GRAND FINAL
1. Gonzaga 6:48.9
2. Sacramento State 6:50.1
3. San Diego 6:52.2
4. Saint Mary’s 7:00.0
5. UC Davis 7:01.4
6. San Diego State 7:10.3
GOLD RIVER, Calif. – Sacramento State’s women’s varsity eight, second varsity eight, novice eight, second novice eight, varsity four and novice four each finished among the top six boats in their respective grand finals to earn the Hornets the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships team trophy Sunday morning at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center. Crews were dealing with rain and cross winds throughout the day.
