Gonzaga University
Head of the American
Bulldogs Take Seventh Place At Head Of The American
10/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Rowing
LAKE NATOMA, Calif. - The Gonzaga men's rowing team continued their fall schedule on Saturday as they traveled to Lake Natoma near Folsom, Calif. for the Head of the American regatta. The event was hosted by the Sacramento State Aquatic Center and took place on Lake Natoma, which is located within Nimbus Flat State Park. The Zags were competing in the Varsity 8 only this year in the regatta.
The Varsity 8 of Ben Foos, Jack Oberle, Cole Garcia, Ian Melder, Atticus Patterson, Brandon Fairhurst, Connor Murray, Matt Peterson, Walker Capra-Smith took home a seventh place finish with a time of 16:55.5. They were four seconds behind the boat from San Diego, but defeated boats from Santa Clara, UC Santa Barbara, San Diego State, and Stanford. The event had 27 entries.
"We raced well today. The guys did a good job of working through 3-4 boats and dealing with wash, but keeping up their speed," GU head coach Dan Gehn said.
The Zags know the course at Lake Natoma well, as they have competed annually at Lake Natoma in the Western Sprints and the previously named Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championship as part of their regional postseason competition preceding the IRA Championships. The Zags qualified on Lake Natoma in 2012, 2013, and 2014 for the IRA Championships. Most recently in 2014, they defeated San Diego, UC San Diego, and Santa Clara in the Varsity 8 race to qualify.
The Bulldogs will continue their 2016 fall season next weekend as they travel to the Head of the Lake in Seattle, Wash. to face many of the same opponents they saw today.
Saturday Gonzaga Varsity 8
Cox Ben Foos
8 Jack Oberle
7 Cole Garcia
6 Ian Melder
5 Atticus Patterson
4 Brandon Fairhurst
3 Connor Murray
2 Matt Peterson
Bow Walker Capra-Smith
