Zags Shine on First Day of WIRA Championships

Saturday, April 27

Folsom, Calif.

Gonzaga University

WIRA Championships

Photo by: Torrey Vail

4/27/2019 12:31:00 PM | Men's Rowing

Bulldogs best WCC-foe San Diego in Varsity Eight

Zags Shine on First Day of WIRA Championships
Bulldogs best WCC-foe San Diego in Varsity Eight

FOLSOM, Calif. – The Gonzaga men's rowing team shined on the first day of the WIRA Championships on Lake Natoma outside of Folsom, Calif., collecting a first and second place finish in its two races on the day.

Gonzaga's varsity eight won the first heat of the men's varsity eight race with a 6:01.638 time, besting UC Irvine, Orange Coast College, WCC-foe San Diego and Washington State. UC Irvine came in second nearly four seconds back at 6:05.538. The Bulldogs will face both UC San Diego, Santa Clara, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara and Orange Coast in the Grand Finale Sunday at 8:10 a.m. UC San Diego, along with the Bulldogs, is currently receiving votes in the latest IRA/US Rowing Coaches Poll.

"After some lineup changes this week, I was happy with the varsity eight race," head men's rowing coach Dan Gehn said. "They went out and were really strong in the middle 1000 meters of the race. The final is going to be a brawl with UC San Diego and Santa Clara."

The second varsity eight also excelled, placing second in the first heat of Saturday's race to qualify for the second varsity eight Final A Sunday at 9:30 a.m. The Zags finished with a time of 6:17.563, just about a second behind UC Davis' winning time of 6:16.495

"They raced a gutsy race after catching a full over-the-head crab at about 600 meters into the race," Gehn said. "The JV8 came back to challenge UC Davis in the last 500 meters to make the final."

The Bulldogs return to the water Sunday, April28th for the finals of the WIRA Championships. The varsity eight will begin at 8:10 a.m. followed by the second varsity eight Final A at 9:10 a.m.

RESULTS
Men's Varsity Eight
1          Gonzaga                     6:01.638
2          UC Irvine                     6:05.538
3          Orange Coast              6:07.592
4          San Diego                   6:08.812
5          Washington State        6:09.082
6          UC Berkeley                SCRATCH

Men's Second Varsity Eight
1          UC Davis                     6:16.495
2          Gonzaga                     6:17.563
3          Orange Coast              6:22.619
4          Washington State        6:27.854
5          SDSU                          6:58.107

LINEUPS
Varsity 8
Cox: Ben Foos
Mark Jankovic
Colin Drangsholt
Richard Zukowski
Ian Melder
Anthony Adamek
Charley Nordin
Coe Carter
John Lomond

Second Varsity 8
Cox: Scott Stewart
Benjamin Kropelnicki
Zach Weber
Johnathon Kneeland
Kyle Jangard
Colby Cadman
Jack Snider
Dillon Yanick
Sam Dernis