GOLD RIVER, Calif. -- Sacramento State's second varsity eight and novice eight both won their respective races against Alabama and San Diego State on a beautiful Saturday morning under perfect rowing conditions at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center.
The three teams competed in five races with the Hornets winning two, Alabama winning two, and San Diego State winning one. The Aztecs were victorious in the varsity eight while Alabama won the varsity four and second varsity four races.
"We had to make lineup changes to every boat today because of injuries, but with that being said, I thought we competed pretty well," Sacramento State head coach Mike Connors said.
In the varsity eight, San Diego State rowed to a winning time of 6:52.3 over 2,000 meters, followed by the Hornets (6:55.6) and Alabama (7:10.9). Sacramento State was trailing by a half boat's length heading into the final 500 meters, but could not overcome San Diego State.
"The varsity eight's pace was off today and they didn't look particularly strong and confident," Connors said. "We still had a chance to win at the 1,500 meter mark, but the final 500 meters was slower than usual for the boat."
In the second varsity eight, despite changes to every seat but coxswain, seven and bow from a week ago, the Hornets' time of 6:55.6 was faster than both San Diego State (6:58.7) and Alabama (7:06.8).
"We felt good about the second varsity eight's speed heading into today's race," Connors said. "They had a very good week of practice, and that carried over into today's win."
The Hornets' novice eight won their race with a respectable time of 7:15.6, finishing head of San Diego State's third varsity eight (7:18.2), Alabama (7:20.3) and Sacramento State's second novice eight (7:45.0).
"I thought the novice eight put together a pretty solid race," Sacramento State assistant coach George Jenkins said. "We need to be a little better in the middle 1,000 (meters), but we were good in the first 500 and last 500 meters. Overall, I was pretty happy with the boat's performance."
In the varsity four, Alabama won with a time of 7:45.9, followed by the Hornets' second-place time of 7:49.6 and San Diego State's 8:00.1
"We had to replace the entire port side of the varsity four today, but they still competed well despite some tough circumstances," Connors said.
Sacramento State's second varsity four finished in second (7:54.9), under three seconds slower than Alabama's winning time of 7:52.2.
The Hornets return to the water in two weeks when they compete at the San Diego Crew Classic on April 5-6.
LINEUPS
VARSITY EIGHT
Cox - Emily Mauer, s - Hannah Silberberg, 7 - Kim Gross, 6 - Jessica Smith, 5 - Courtney Owen, 4 - Alexandra Santella, 3 - Rosemary Kloh, 2 - Kloey Glass, b - Antonia Dendrinos
SECOND VARSITY EIGHT
Cox - Jennifer Shepherd, s - Erika Busch, 7 - Tawnya Curfman, 6 - Carly Hartman, 5 - Nika Szyrynski, 4 - Desiree Drab Munoz, 3 - Katie Koehler, 2 - Jill Modean, b - Danielle Stout
VARSITY FOUR
Cox - Paige Poulin, s - Megan Boggs, 3 - Jasmine Taylor, 2 - Shannon Rauls, b - Callie Senna
SECOND VARSITY FOUR
Cox - Jennifer Shepherd, s - Gabrielle Luebben, 3 - Noelle Giddens, 2 - Zully Cruz, b - Nicole Maduri
NOVICE EIGHT
Cox - Alyssa Wara, s - Shannon Rauls, 7 - Carli Preston, 6 - Natasha Bazzo, 5 - Sarah Mai, 4 - Migle Griskelyte, 3 - Kayla Harper, 2 - Gabrielle Luebben, b - Lauren Roecker
SECOND NOVICE EIGHT
Cox - Melissa Pollard, s - Carissa Macias, 7 - Lindsay Vampola, 6 - Ashley Hubbell, 5 - Cassandra Macias, 4 - Dimari Aldridge, 3 - Emily Zimmerman, 2 - Riley Ashen, b - Brittanie Clendenin
NOVICE FOUR
Cox - Megan Hall, s - Dimari Aldridge, 3 - Kayla Harper, 2 - Bridgette Fries, b - Lidiya Badalyan
RACE RESULTS
SECOND VARSITY EIGHT
1. Sac - 6:55.6
2. SDSU - 6:58.7
3. Ala - 7:06.8
VARSITY EIGHT
1. SDSU - 6:52.3
2. Sac - 6:55.6
3. Ala - 7:10.9
VARSITY FOUR
1. Ala - 7:45.9
2. Sac - 7:49.6
3. SDSU - 8:00.1
SECOND VARSITY FOUR
1. Ala - 7:52.2
2. Sac - 7:54.9
3. Ala 3V4 - 8:04.5
4. Sac N4 - 8:37.8
NOVICE EIGHT
1. Sac - 7:15.6
2. SDSU 3V8 - 7:18.2
3. Ala - 7:20.3
4. Sac 2N8 - 7:45.0