On Tap For Zags: WCC and WIRA Championships
4/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Crew
April 29, 2009
2009 WIRA Schedule in PDF Format 
SPOKANE, Wash. - The Gonzaga University women's rowing team heads to Lake Natoma in Sacramento, Calif., this weekend for both the West Coast Conference Championships and the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships. The Zags are looking to capture their 12th West Coast Conference title in 13 years and looking to win the Varsity 8+ and Second Varsity 8+ at the WIRA's for the fourth time in five years and the Novice 8+ for the third time in four years.
Gonzaga starts the championship weekend off Friday morning with the West Coast Conference Championships. The Bulldogs won their 11th WCC title a year ago by sweeping all three races. The Zags claimed the championship easily, taking all three races by open water and by an average of 11 seconds.
"We're looking forward to building off last weekend," stated second-year head coach Melissa Flint, whose team just returned from rowing against tough competition at the Charles River Challenge in Boston, Mass. "We don't know how fast the WCC teams are, there are some new head coaches in the mix, and they could have some good teams. We just need to go out and race hard and race our own race."
After the WCC's on Friday, the Zags will turn around and refocus their attention on the WIRA Championships. The Varsity 8+ boat and the Second Varsity 8+ boat both earned gold in 2008, squeaking out one-second victories over its opponents. The Novice 8+, on the other hand, looks to recapture gold after having its two-year winning streak broken last year by San Diego State University.
The Bulldog Varsity 8+ has been seeded into the first of two heat races at the WIRA Championships. Also racing in GU's heat will be the University of San Diego, Saint Mary's College, Santa Clara University and UC Irvine. Gonzaga will hit the water at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
The Second Varsity 8+ has also been slotted into the first of two heats. The Zags, racing at 10:20 a.m., will face off against San Diego, Loyola Marymount University and Santa Clara.
The Zag Novice 8+, coming off a great weekend in Boston which saw them win two out of three races, will race in the first of two heats on Saturday at 2:10 p.m. against Orange Coast College, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, University of Colorado, Loyola Marymount, and Seattle Pacific University.
Also racing will be the Varsity 4+ boat, which will be in the second of two heats and racing first on Saturday at 8:50 a.m. Gonzaga is pitted against UC Irvine, San Diego State University, and UC Davis.
Schedule for the West Coast Conference Championships
(Lake Natoma - Sacramento, Calif. - Friday, May 1)
Varsity 4+ (9:20 a.m.)
Lane 1 - San Diego
Lane 2 - Saint Mary's
Lane 3 - Loyola Marymount
Lane 4 - Santa Clara
Lane 5 - Gonzaga
Second Varsity 8+ (9:40 a.m.)
Lane 1 - Gonzaga
Lane 2 - San Diego
Lane 3 - Loyola Marymount
Lane 4 - Saint Mary's
Lane 5 - Santa Clara
Varsity 8+ (10 a.m.)
Lane 1 - Gonzaga
Lane 2 - San Diego
Lane 3 - Saint Mary's
Lane 4 - Loyola Marymount
Lane 5 - Santa Clara
WCC Lineups:
Varsity 8+: Emily Wilson, Katie Atkins, Alissa Stempson, Liz Moore, Hanna McClintock, Sami Koppinger, Jana Holcombe, Sam Cekovic, Whitney Engle.
Second Varsity 8+: Nicky Talkington, Therese Yrani, Paula Welly, Alexis Curtright, Sierra Tittle, Kat Storwick, Hannah Winters, Lauren Miller, Lana Bowie.
Varsity 4+: Rachel Cregg, Sophie Bluhm, Rachel Ross, Rachel Schlosser, Martha Buttry.
Heat Racing Schedule for WIRA Championships
(Lake Natoma, Sacramento, Calif. - Saturday, May 2-Sunday, May 3)
Varsity 4+ (8:50 a.m. - Heat 2)
Lane 1 - UC Irvine
Lane 2 - Gonzaga
Lane 3 - San Diego State
Lane 4 - UC Davis
Second Varsity 8+ (10:20 a.m. - Heat 1)
Lane 1 - Gonzaga
Lane 2 - San Diego
Lane 3 - Loyola Marymount
Lane 4 - Santa Clara
Varsity 8+ (11 a.m. - Heat 1)
Lane 1 - Gonzaga
Lane 2 - San Diego
Lane 3 - Saint Mary's
Lane 4 - Santa Clara
Lane 5 - UC Irvine
Novice 8+ (2:10 p.m. - Heat 1)
Lane 1 - Gonzaga
Lane 2 - Orange Coast
Lane 3 - UC Santa Barbara
Lane 4 - UC Irvine
Lane 5 - Colorado
Lane 6 - Loyola Marymount
Lane 7 - Seattle Pacific
WIRA Lineups:
Varsity 8+: Emily Wilson, Katie Atkins, Alissa Stempson, Liz Moore, Hanna McClintock, Sami Koppinger, Jana Holcombe, Sam Cekovic, Whitney Engle.
Second Varsity 8+: Nicky Talkington, Therese Yrani, Paula Welly, Alexis Curtright, Sierra Tittle, Kat Storwick, Hannah Winters, Lauren Miller, Lana Bowie.
Varsity 4+: Rachel Cregg, Sophie Bluhm, Rachel Ross, Rachel Schlosser, Martha Buttry.
Novice 8+: Natalie Wolfrom, Alicia Adams, Paula Welly, Chelsea Quilling, Elise Perkins, Teddi McGuire, Lizzie Braicks, Maryssa Thompson, Olivia Miller.
