May 1, 2008
Championship rowing season arrives as LMU travels to Lake Natoma in Rancho Cordova, CA for the West Coast Conference (WCC) and Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships. The Lions will compete over three days, first in the WCC Championship on Friday, May 2, and then Saturday and Sunday, May 3-4 against the WIRA field.
The weekend gets underway Friday with the five-team, three-race WCC Championship. The WCC only sponsors women's rowing so the Lions will have three boats entered. First up is the varsity four at 9:20 a.m., followed by the second varsity eight at 9:40 a.m., and finally the varsity eight race at 10 a.m.
WCC Championship Format
The WCC Championship is decided based on points for three races: varsity 8, 2nd varsity 8 and varsity 4. The winner of the varsity 8 race is awarded 15 points, 2nd place gets 12 points, 3rd place gets 9 points, etc. The winner of the 2nd varsity 8 race gets 10 points, 2nd place gets 8 points, 3rd place gets 6 points, etc. Finally, the winner of the varsity 4 gets 5 points, 2nd place gets 4 points, etc.
History of the WCC Championships
The WCC has been offering a women's rowing conference championship since 1997 with Gonzaga winning the first nine titles. The Lions stopped the Bulldogs' streak in 2006 and brought home the trophy. LMU finished second behind Gonzaga in the varsity 4 and 2nd varsity 8 races, but won the varsity 8 race with a thrilling finish. Both teams finished with 27 points but in the tie-breaker procedure, the winner of the varsity 8 race decides the WCC title. Gonzaga came back to reclaim the championship last year.
In 2004, the Lions won the varsity 8 event for the first time, but missed out on the conference title by just one point, finishing with 25 points while Gonzaga had 26.
Five schools in the conference sponsor women's rowing: LMU, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, San Diego and Santa Clara.
LMU in the WCC Championships
The only school besides Gonzaga to claim a WCC title in the conference's 11-year rowing history, LMU has twice been runners-up (2004 and 2007) and has not finished lower than third since 2003.
The Lions have won the varsity 8 race twice (2004 and 2006) but has never claimed the gold in either the 2nd varsity 8 or varsity 4.
Schedule of Events
Friday, May 2 - West Coast Conference Championship
9:20 - Varsity 4
9:40 - 2nd Varsity 8
10:00 - Varsity 8
Lineups
Women's Varsity 8 - Jennifer Guess, (cox) Mary Foster, Jill Austin, Sydney Johnson, Marni Hietbrink, Kathryn Holzberger, Bettina Messerli, Jen Glassman, and Liz LaLonde.
Women's Second Varsity 8 - Kayla Pietruszka (cox), Stephanie Speer, Brittany Teleng, Adrienne Lindstrom, Alexa Aftias, Alli Mitrovich, Sydney Swanson, Courtney Bannerman, and Becky Nolan.
Women's Varsity 4 - Claire Ramirez (cox), Michelle Herrerias, Talya Courtney, Alex Lee, Larissa Meltz.
Looking at the WIRA Championships
The 31-team Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association holds its championships over two days, with the early heats on Saturday morning. All Third and Petite Finals, as well as the women's and men's lightweight eight Grand Finals will also be contested on Saturday. Sunday is Championship Day with 20 Grand Finals on the race card.
LMU will have 10 boats competing throughout the day, including the women' s lightweight four, women's lightweight eight, and men's pairs, all of which will be defending their titles from last year.
In the last five years, five LMU boats have taken home the gold medal in the Grand Final. The women's lightweight four won in 2005 and 2007, the women's varsity eight in 2004 and 2007, and the men's pair of David Cronin and Scott Wike in 2007.
WIRA Championship Format
Four trophies will be handed out at the WIRA: men's and women's cumulative and men's and women's efficiency. A complex points system is used for the top seven finishers in each race with the school gaining the most number of points awarded the cumulative trophy. The efficiency trophy goes to the team with the greatest efficiency percentage (total actual points divided by total possible points) for schools that have a minimum of 13 athletes competing and placed in the top seven in at least two races.
LMU vs. the WIRA Field
LMU has faced its fair share of WIRA opponents thus far in 2007-08. It started at the Newport Autumn Rowing Festival in November when the men's varsity eight beat Santa Clara and San Diego. That same day, the men's varsity four defeated UC Davis, Santa Clara, Long Beach State, and San Diego.
The men's V8 and V4 continued their winning ways at the Parker Cup in March, surging past San Diego State and UC Irvine while the women's lightweight 8 registered a victory over UCI that same day.
The women's V8 got in the act at the San Diego Crew Classic, defeating Santa Clara but trailing Sacramento State and Saint Mary's. Also on that day, the women's lightweight 8 finished behind Cal.
Cronin and Wike returned to the water for the first time in 2008 at the USC Invitational, beating UC Santa Barbara, as did the men's V8, while the Gauchos recovered to beat LMU in the men's V4. In the final race of the regular season, the women's V8 fell to top-ranked UC Davis on April 20.
LMU Lineups
Women's Varsity 8 - Jennifer Guess, (cox) Mary Foster, Jill Austin, Sydney Johnson, Marni Hietbrink, Kathryn Holzberger, Bettina Messerli, Jen Glassman, Liz LaLonde.
Women's Second Varsity 8 - Kayla Pietruszka (cox), Stephanie Speer, Brittany Teleng, Adrienne Lindstrom, Alexa Aftias, Alli Mitrovich, Sydney Swanson, Courtney Bannerman, Becky Nolan.
Women's Novice 4 - Claire Ramirez (cox), Michelle Herrerias, Kathleen Foster, Megan Healy.
Women's Lightweight 8 - Jennifer Guess (cox), Mary Foster, Jill Austin, Jen Glassman, Liz LaLonde, Courtney Bannerman, Talya Courtney, Alex Lee, Larissa Meltz.
Women's Lightweight 4 - Jennifer Guess (cox), Mary Foster, Jill Austin, Jen Glassman, Liz LaLonde.
Men's Pairs - David Cronin, Scott Wike.
Men's Varsity 8 - Whitney Powell (cox), Mike Wither, Scott Wike, Patrick Callan, Mark Stellner, Hamilton Hiatt, Landon Storaasli, Dominic Leone, Jordan Perez.
Men's Varsity 4 - Nick Llanos (cox), Hamilton Hiatt, Miles Dobbyn, John Landwehr, Miles Dobbyn.
Men's Varsity Lightweight 4 - Whitney Powell (cox), Mike Wither, Landon Storaasli, Dominic Leone, Miles Dobbyn.
Men's Novice 4 - Korbin Duley (cox), Chris Vaughn, Kyle Wike, James Clinton, Kyle Hutchison.
Saturday, May 3 - Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship
8:00 - Women's Varsity Light 4 Heat 1
8:10 - Women's Novice 4 Heat 2 (LMU in lane four)
8:20 - Men's Varsity Light 4 Heat 1
8:30 - Men's Varsity Light 4 Heat 2 (LMU in lane two)
8:40 - Women's Novice Light 4 Heat 1
8:50 - Women's Novice Light 4 Heat 2
9:00 - Women's Novice 4 Heat 1
9:10 - Women's Novice 4 Heat 2
9:20 - Women's Novice 4 Heat 3 (LMU in lane two)
9:30 - Men's Novice 4 Heat 1
9:40 - Men's Novice 4 Heat 2
9:50 - Men's Novice 4 Heat 3 (LMU in lane four)
10:00 - Women's Varsity 8 Heat 1
10:10 - Women's Varsity 8 Heat 2
10:20 - Men's Varsity 8 Heat 1
10:30 - Men's Varsity 8 Heat 2 (LMU in lane five)
10:40 - Men's Varsity 8 Heat 3
10:50 - Women's Varsity 8 Open Heat 1 (LMU in lane five)
11:00 - Women's Varsity 8 Open Heat 2
11:10 - Men's Novice 8 Heat 1
11:20 - Men's Novice 8 Heat 2
11:30 - Women's Novice 8 Heat 1
11:40 - Women's Novice 8 Heat 2
11:50 - Women's Novice 8 Heat 3
12:00 - Men's Varsity 4 Heat 1
12:10 - Men's Varsity 4 Heat 2 (LMU in lane three)
12:20 - Women's Varsity 4 Heat 1
12:30 - Women's Varsity 4 Heat 2
12:40 - Women's Varsity 4 Heat 3
12:50-2:00 - Lunch Break
2:00 - Women's 2nd Varsity 8 Heat 1 (LMU in lane four)
2:10 - Women's 2nd Varsity 8 Heat 2
2:20 - Women's Novice 4 Third Final
2:30 - Women's Novice 4 Petite Final
2:40 - Men's Novice 4 Third Final
2:50 - Men's Novice 4 Petite Final
3:00 - Men's Pair Heat 1
3:10 - Men's Pair Heat 2 (LMU in lane four)
3:20 - Women's Pair Heat 1
3:30 - Women's Pair Heat 2
3:40 - Men's Novice 8 Third Final
3:50 - Men's Novice 8 Petite Final
4:00 - Women's Novice 8 Third Final
4:10 - Women's Novice 8 Petite Final
4:20 - Women's Varsity 4 Third Final
4:30 - Women's Varsity 4 Petite Final
4:40 - Men's Varsity 4 Petite Final
4:50 - Women's 2nd Varsity 8 Third Final
5:00 - Men's Pair Petite Final
5:10 - Women's Pair Petite Final
5:20 - Women's Lightweight 8 Grand Final (LMU in lane one)
5:30 - Men's Lightweight 8 Grand Final
Sunday, May 4
8:00 - Women's Novice Lightweight 4 Grand Final
8:10 - Men's Novice Lightweight 4 Grand Final
8:20 - Women's Novice 4 Grand Final
8:30 - Men's Novice 4 Grand Final
8:40 - Women's Pair Grand Final
8:50 - Men's Pair Grand Final
9:00 - Women's 2nd Novice 8 Grand Final
9:10 - Men's 2nd Novice 8 Grand Final
9:20 - Women's Lightweight 4 Grand Final
9:30 - Men's Lightweight 4 Grand Final
9:40 - Women's Varsity 4 Grand Final
9:50 - Men's Varsity 4 Grand Final
10:00 - Women's Novice 8 Grand Final
10:10 - Men's Novice 8 Grand Final
10:20 - Women's 2nd Varsity 8 Petite Final
10:30 - Women's 2nd Varsity 8 Grand Final
10:40 - Men's 2nd Varsity 8 Grand Final
10:50 - Men's Varsity 8 Third Final
11:00 - Women's Varsity 8 Petite Final
11:10 - Men's Varsity 8 Petite Final
11:20 - Women's Varsity 8 Petite Final
11:30 - Women's Varsity 8 Grand Final
11:40 - Men's Varsity 8 Grand Final
11:50 - Women's Varsity 8 Grand Final
12:45 - Awards Ceremony
For information on parking and tickets, click here.
For a complete weekend schedule, click here.
Directions to Lake Natoma
From Highway 80:
Heading West from Auburn or East from Sacramento or San Francisco take the Sierra College Blvd. exit (in the City of Rocklin) and turn South on Sierra College Blvd. In about 6 miles Sierra College Blvd. becomes Hazel Ave., continue South through the town of Orangevale and finally across the American River. Your first left after the river is the Aquatic Center. Turn left onto Gold County Blvd./Nimbus Rd. Follow the road into the Aquatic Center parking lot.
From Highway 50:
Heading West from Lake Tahoe or East from Sacramento or San Francisco take the Hazel Ave. (Exit 21). Go North onto Hazel Ave. Proceed approximately .5 to Gold County Blvd./Nimbus Rd. (the second stop light) turn right. Follow the road into the Aquatic Center parking lot.
