April 28, 2007
Lowell, Ore. - The Stanford men's crew team combined with the women's team to win five of six races overall against Oregon State and Washington State on Dexter Lake near Eugene, Oregon, making the nine-hour bus ride road trip worthwhile. In cross headwind conditions, both the men's and women's varsity eights jumped out to open water leads in the first 500 meters and won convincingly.
"First, a big thank you to Oregon State and Washington State for inviting us to race on Dexter Lake and also to the local clubs and the Oregon Association of Rowers for installing their new buoyed race course," said Stanford director of rowing and head men's coach Craig Amerkhanian. "Dexter Lake can be added to Lake Natoma as another fair championship six-lane race course on the West Coast."
The No. 4 Stanford varsity men's eight led wire-to-wire with the outcome never in doubt. Nate Rooks led the swing-induced rhythm that was further bolstered by birthday boys Silas Stafford (21) and Ottavio Siani (22). Donny Simkin, Kevin Baum, Mark Murphy, Dave Creighton, Alex Osborne and coxswain Ariel Dixon made up the rest of the victorious crew. Stanford's winning time was 6:13.33, while Oregon State finished in 6:18.90.
The second varsity men's and novice eights also won. The men's second varsity lineup that clocked in with a time of 6:13.33 included Ben Briggs, John DiCola, Marco Caslisch, Justin Brown, Jeff Cornelius, Jeromy Hoffman, Ryan DuChene, Ogi Zizojnovic and coxswain Graham Carroll. The novice eight recorded a time of 6:23.20 and was made up of Andy Bracken, Alec Levy, Aaron Frankl, Nico Sand, Kevin Gehr, Joe Brendel, James Madson, Scott Runyon and Bobby Pinero.
"It was a solid day for Stanford men's crew, sweeping all events," Amerkhanian said. "We look forward to the Pac-10 Championships with three other Pac-10 varsity programs - California, Washington and Oregon State."
The No. 17 Stanford women's varsity eight capitalized on the start and surged into clear water to lead in the first 500 meters. The boat extended the margin over both Oregon State and Washington State by more than two boat lengths in the middle 1000. Oregon State won the race for second place rowing through Washington State in the third 500. Stanford's winning time was 6:55.77, while Oregon State finished in 7:00.30 and Washington State went 7:07.4.
"This week in practice our boat really came together and focused on making positive changes that we felt on the water today," Kerry Birk said. "We were pleased with our ability to jump into a solid and sustainable rhythm right off the start. It's fun to feel improvements from race to race, and it's exciting to think about going home to fine-tune in these next two weeks before Pac-10's."
Contributors to the varsity women's effort included Kathy Altman, Sophie Aubrey, Kerry Birk, Jennifer Brown, Amelia Carr, Drusia Dickson, Di Eaton, Kelly Fero, Adrienne Fritsch, Bea Gordon, Alex Hasbach, Lauren Hofmayer, Melissa Hulme, Cassie Kull, Julia Liebner, Elle Logan, Stephanie Morrison, Katie O'Neil, Araceli Ortiz, Kerry Pigott, Sonia Poltoratski, Jessi Reel, Eva Sheridan, Sarah Vick, Lena Wolfe and Carly York.
"One of the things I really appreciated about these women is their ability to learn and make tangible improvements from one race to the next," head women's coach Yasmin Farooq said. "The varsity eight is beginning to really show its talents and potential. They made huge technical strides this week and applied them. The second varsity eight showed excellent composure in a race that was three boats across. They've got another gear, and they are showing exponential growth. The varsity four showed their persistence as they rose through the field for a come from behind victory."
The women's lightweight team competed on Eagle Creek in Indianapolis. The team's four four finished second to Georgetown and ahead of Wisconsin, Northwestern and Ohio State. The No. 3 ranked lightweight varsity eight finished three seconds behind No. 1 Wisconsin and ahead of No. 4 Georgetown and Ohio State. Times were not available for the lightweight races.
The Stanford men's and women's team race next at the Pac-10 Championships in Sacramento on Lake Natoma on Sunday, May 13 (8 am, PT), while the lightweight women's squads will next be in action at the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships to be held in Rancho Cordova on Saturday, May 12.
Men's Junior Varsity 8+
1. Stanford (6:16.1)
2. Oregon State (6:18.4)
Women's Novice 8+
1. Oregon State (7:22.26)
2. Washington State (7:27.22)
Men's Varsity 8+
1. Stanford (6:13.33)
2. Oregon State (6:18.90)
Women's Varsity 4+
1. Stanford (8:04.35)
2. Washington State (8:11.04)
3. Oregon State A (8:21.84)
4. Oregon State B (8:30.92)
Women's Second Varsity 8+
1. Oregon State (7:04.20)
2. Washington State (7:07.29)
3. Stanford (7:08.43)
Women's Varsity 8+
1. Stanford (6:55.77)
2. Oregon State (7:00.30)
3. Washington State (7:07.29)
Men's Novice 8+
1. Stanford (6:23.20)
2. Oregon State (6:31.04)
Women's Second Novice 8+
1. Oregon State (7:46.69)
2. Washington State (7:56.36)