Zags Win Two of Three Races Versus Loyola Marymount
3/15/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Gonzaga University women's rowing squad started the spring season winning two of three races Friday in its dual with West Coast Conference foe Loyola Marymount University on Baloona River in Marina del Rey. The Bulldogs earned victories in both the Second Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+ and took second in the Varsity 8+ race.
"The purpose of the early season racing is to get a barometer of the team's strengths and weaknesses," explained Gonzaga head coach Glenn Putyrae. "We will now spend the rest of the season turning the weaknesses we saw today into strengths and making our strengths even stronger so we can be as fast as we can be at the end of the season."
One weakness Putyrae said his boats have been struggling with early this season has been getting off the starting line. Friday was no different for the Varsity 8+.
"We have recognized that we are struggling getting off the line and are working on different things," stated Putyrae. "We were in a hole from the beginning of the race because of this. We pushed back pretty well in the second quarter of the race but ultimately didn't push enough for a consistent amount of time to put a real scare into LMU."
The Lions used a strong move at the halfway point to put the race away and earn the nearly 10 second victory over the Bulldogs. LMU had a time of 7:21.84, while Gonzaga finished the course in 7:31.01.
The Second Varsity 8+ also had a rough time off the start but came back to win an exciting race by a little over one second.
The Zags, who started down, pushed back midway through the race and was a half-length ahead in the final 500-meters before Loyola Marymount started to sprint to take the lead. It was a perfect call by coxswain Naseeb Bhangal that allowed Gonzaga to push through and earn the victory in a time of 7:32.76.
"The Second Varsity 8+ was a great race," commented Putyrae. "Naseeb made a call when she noticed LMU had gained momentum. Her call stopped the Lions move and pushed the boat back through and made the difference in the race."
The Lions crossed the finish line at 7:33.31.
The Varsity 4+ had the most dominating performance of the day, leading wire-to-wire and taking the 28-second victory in 8:39.75. The Lions crossed the finish line in 9:07.73.
"I'm really pleased with how the four performed today," stated assistant coach and Varsity 4+ coach Marci Robles. "We had a last-minute change in the lineup and I think they handled the situation well. There is still plenty to work on, and we look forward to finding even more speed as the season progresses."
The Bulldogs will now scrimmage UCLA Saturday in the same location. The teams will do 1,500-meter pieces, 1,000-meter pieces and 500-meter pieces starting at 7:20 a.m.
Gonzaga vs. Loyola Marymount Dual
March 15, 2013 - Ballona River, Marina del Rey
Varsity 8+
1. Loyola Marymount, 7:21.84
2. Gonzaga, 7:31.01
Second Varsity 8+
1. Gonzaga, 7:32.76
2. Loyola Marymount, 7:33.31
Varsity 4+
1. Gonzaga 8:39.75
2. Loyola Marymount, 9:07.73
Gonzaga Lineups:
Varsity 8+: Jordan Schroeder, Naomi Medley, Christine Powers, Kara Soucek, Brooklyn Beeler, Malori McGill, Devyn Bell, Madison Keaty, Casey Burt.
Second Varsity 8+: Naseeb Bhangal, Lily Rorick, Christy Mentele, Sarah Atkins, Maddie Turbes, Erin Russell, Madeleine Verspieren, Wendy Wigg, Becca Benoit.
Varsity 4+: Megan Dennison, Renee Wyman, Natalie Potts, Alyssa Bashor, Mary Haffner.
