RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. – The Lewis & Clark Pioneers raced on Lake Natoma on Saturday morning for the first day of racing at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta. The championship race brought 31 teams to Sacramento. The morning started with light rain and cool temperatures, with flat water and no wind on the course.
THE BASICS
8:10 AM, Men's varsity 8+
8:30 AM, Women's varsity 8+
9:20 AM, Women's second varsity 8+
10:00 AM, Men's varsity 4+
10:40 AM, Women's varsity 4+
HOW IT HAPPENED
The regatta opened with the heats for the men's varsity 8+'s, both of which were seven boat races. The Pioneers came down the course in the second heat and finished in seventh place, sending them to the third final to face off against California Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo. Eights finals are scheduled for Sunday morning, with top three finishers from each heat facing off in the grand final, fourth through sixth place finishers facing off in the petite final, and the final two competitors facing off in a duel in the third final. Sophie Homolka was at the helm, with Lewis Grimes in stroke, Devon Hall in seven, Keith Hipp in six, Caleb Novotny in five, Kieran Larrabee in four, Chaszar Waldron in three, Daniel Macha in two, and Alex Skiles in the bow.
The women's varsity 8+ heats directly followed the men's races down the course. Lewis & Clark raced in the first, and larger, 7-boat heat with conference rivals Puget Sound. The Pioneers crossed the line in sixth place, just one second behind Long Beach State University, earning themselves a spot in the petite final Sunday morning. The last 500 meters of the course saw Long Beach, Lewis & Clark, and Cal-Poly, San Luis Obispo in a tight and exciting sprint to the line. The Pioneers will see both Pacific Lutheran and Puget Sound in the petite. The boat was helmed by Morgan Anderson, with Sadie Meredith-Andrews in stroke, Zoe Mitchell in seven, Libby Barresse in six, Clare Kimmel in five, Emma Wind in four, Amber Hayes in three, Meredith Lybbert in two, and Charlie Bastunskiy in the bow.
The women's second varsity 8+ race was next for the Pioneers. With only six entries in the category, all boats will race for medals in the grand final on Sunday, with finish timing in the heat determining lane placement for the final. Lewis & Clark made it across the line in fifth place, beating conference rival Pacific Lutheran by 13 seconds. The boat was helmed by Max Baker, with Sunny Greenblum in stroke, Carmen Aaronson in seven, Ella Shanava in six, Charlotte Gregson in five, Masha Glazneva in four, Kaia Hirsch in three, Alany Padilla Camacho in two, and Ana Cabrera in the bow.
The men's varsity 4+ race was the next race for Lewis & Clark. A highly competitive race category, the men's 4+ reached its entry cap of 21 boats, necessitating three heats. The Pioneers raced in heat two, with a goal of placing in fourth or higher in order to make it into one of the two finals on Sunday rather than racing in the third final Saturday afternoon. In a highly competitive finish, the Pioneers out sprinted Washington State to cross the line two seconds ahead and in fourth place, securing their spot in the petite final. Homolka was again at the helm, with Grimes in stroke, Hall in three, Novotny in two, and Paul Kelly in the bow.
The women's varsity 4+ was the final boat of the day to race for Lewis & Clark. Another competitive race category, the women's 4+'s also had three heats worth of entries. The Pioneers raced in heat two, which posted the fastest times of the three heats. Similar to their teammates in the men's 4, they were racing for placement in Sunday finals over Saturday afternoon. Despite getting down the course faster than fourth place finisher UC Santa Barbara in heat one, the Pioneers finished in fifth, sending them to the third final at 2:30pm. In the third final, they faced off against a seven-boat field. They jumped out early off the start and never relinquished their position, crossing the line first with a 10-second, open-water lead. The boat was helmed by Ella Radvany, with Meredith-Andrews in stroke, Wind in three, Bastunskiy in two, and Lybbert in the bow.
BY THE NUMBERS
To ensure fair racing, teams are required to race in petite and third finals or risk expulsion of the entire group from further competition
Water is moving fast on the lake, enabling crews to row season-best times across the board
Grimes, Hall, and Novotny all doubled between the men's varsity 4+ and varsity 8+
This is Hipp, Macha, and Waldron's first time competing at the WIRA Regatta
Bastunskiy, Lybbert, Meredith-Andrews, and Wind all doubled into the women's varsity 4+
This is Baker, Greenblum, Aaronson, Glazneva, Hirsch, Camacho Padilla, Wind, Hayes, Lybbert, and Cabrera's first time competing that the WIRA Regatta
WHAT'S NEXT
The Pioneers race again Sunday morning in finals.
