Women's Crew Heads To Pac-10 Championships
5/12/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Crew
May 12, 2004
SPOKANE, Wash. - The Gonzaga University women's varsity eight will continue their rowing season this weekend as they compete in the 2004 Pacific-10 Conference Rowing Championships at Lake Natoma just outside of Sacramento, Calif. The Bulldogs varsity eight is coming off their eighth straight West Coast Conference title and a third place finish at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships held the first weekend of May. This will be the first appearance for the Gonzaga women at the Pac-10 Championships since the 2000 season when the Zags finished 10th in the varsity eight. Gonzaga has competed in the ECAC National Invitational the last three seasons with an ECAC Championship last season.
The Gonzaga varsity eight will consist of coxswain Courtney Serpa, stroke Maria Bokulich, Carolyn Schepper, Kari Durgan, Jessica Kocarnik, Kristi Aamodt, Karen O'Hagan, Nicole Aadland-Lewis and bow Heather Jewell. Gonzaga has been seeded 10th overall in the 15 team varsity eight field and will face Washington State, USC, Sacramento State and UC Davis in their heat race on Saturday morning. Washington State is the No. 3 seed overall and the top seed in the Bulldogs bracket. California and Washington are the other two top seeds. The championship will consist of one heat race on Saturday morning with the top two teams from each heat race advancing to the Grand Final, the next two advancing to the Petite Final and the last place boats racing in a Third Final.
Stanford won the women's varsity eight title last year while Washington won the overall women's team title. The top boats from the Pac-10 Championships will then be considered for the women's NCAA Championships on Memorial Day weekend at Lake Natoma.
The Gonzaga men will look to return to action in late May as they wait on a bid to the IRA National Championships in Camden, N.J. The Bulldog men are looking to send a varsity four and freshman four to the championship event, but must wait until official bids are extended in late May.
