OSU Women's Crew Races San Diego State And Texas Apr. 29-30
April 25, 2000
SCHEDULE: The Oregon State women's crew will row the Redwood Shores course in California for the second time this spring as they take on San Diego State and Texas. The Beavers row against San Diego State on Saturday, Apr. 29 starting at 4:30 p.m., and will face Texas beginning at 10:30 Sunday morning.
BEAVERS IN THE RANKINGS: As of Apr. 19, OSU was 14th in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Poll.
HEAD COACH CHARLIE OWEN ON THE RACE: "I don't know that (the fact that OSU has raced Redwood Shores this season) makes a big difference, but the athletes will be a little bit more comfortable.
"This will be the first time we've had a dual race with San Diego State. We saw them in San Diego (at the San Diego Crew Classic), and they looked like they are a crew that's gotten a lot faster in the last couple of years. I don't know exactly what to expect, other than that they are a fast crew, so we'll have to perform well on Saturday.
"As far as Texas goes, this is their third year as a varsity program. From what I've seen from their results so far, they're coming along in their crewing, but it doesn't look like they're up to the same level as San Diego State."
THE BOATS: OSU will take a varsity eight, second varsity eight, novice eight, and varsity four to race Saturday and Sunday.
OWEN ON THE COURSE: "Redwood Shores is a nice place to race. For dual racing, Redwood Shores is probably the best course on the West Coast. It's a great place for spectatating. Even if it's windy, you can usually still have a fair race. We like to race there."
LAST ACTION: The top-ranked University of Washington dashed the Beavers' hopes of an upset on OSU's home course at Lake Vancouver, Wash., on Apr. 22. The varsity eight finished in 7:11.83, but Washington sliced through choppy water in 6:51.5 to cruise to the win. A headwind also made things difficult. Generally, a headwind will cause time differentials to be greater than a crosswind or tailwind.
OSU's second varsity lost by roughly 14 seconds while posting a time of 7:20.7, but the varsity four took third in a six-team race, beating out UW's `C' boat with in 7:39.94.
Washington's novice eight topped OSU's 7:22.3 with by finishing in 7:13.1, and the Beavers' second novice eight lost by just three seconds with a time of 7:19.3.
BEST TIMES OF THE SPRING: VARSITY EIGHT - 6:45.8 (at Washington State, Snake River course, 3/25), SECOND VARSITY EIGHT - 6:46.32 (at Washington State, Snake River course, 3/25), VARSITY FOUR `A' - 7:39.94 (vs. Washington, Lake Vancouver course, 4/22) VARSITY FOUR `B' - (vs. Stanford, Lake Vancouver course, 4/15), NOVICE EIGHT - 6:48.2 (vs. Stanford, Lake Vancouver course, 4/15), SECOND NOVICE EIGHT - 7:19.3 (vs. Washington, Lake Vancouver course, 4/22), FRESHMAN FOUR `A' - 7:59.49 (at California, Redwood Shores course, 4/8), FRESHMAN FOUR `B' - 8:02.74 (at California, Redwood Shores course, 4/8). Note: Lowest times are not necessarily representative of best performances, as course conditions are a considerable factor in how the times turn out.
INJURY BUG: "It looks like our injuries may be tailing off," Owen said. "Abby Roos was out of the first boat for the last two races, and it looks like she'll probably be in the boat for the races this weekend.
"There were some other people with nagging injuries, but overall, there's not much to speak of. There were two people in the first boat who are starting to get a lot better now."
BOUSKA, GODWIN NOMINATED: Cassie Bouska and Annie Godwin, both seniors, have been nominated for the 2000 GTE Academic All-America team. Bouska, from Myrtle Point, Ore., sports a 3.88 GPA in Biology, and is a two-year member of OSU's 11th-ranked varsity eight boat.
Bouska was honored as a National Scholar Athlete by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association and was an All-Academic selection in 1999. Bouska is attending OSU on Presidential and Georgia-Pacific Scholarships. She also volunteers with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program.
Godwin, from Halfway, Ore., is a third-year member of the 12th-ranked varsity eight boat. She was a 1999 USRowing honor roll selection, and a Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association National Scholar Athlete. Godwin volunteers her time to many organizations in the Corvallis community.
COACHING STAFF: Charlie Owen, in his ninth year at Oregon State University, first arrived at OSU in the fall of 1986 as a student-athlete. He has been involved with the program ever since.
Owen rowed in the varsity lightweight men's eight and heavyweight men's eight, before an injury cut his career short. He did however enjoy a successful sculling career with an eventual position on the 1991 Pan American Team.
Owen's coaching career began in the fall of 1991 as the novice women's mentor. He coached the novice team for two years, with his teams placing second on the West Coast each season and all crews earning medals. At the same time he coached a team at the Olympic Sports Festival.
Owen assumed the reigns of head women's coach in 1993, and the team has improved every year. His 1997 varsity team has been the highlight of his coaching tenure, placing second at the Pac-10 Championships and earning an entry into the inaugural NCAA Championships. The women's crew placed seventh overall at the NCAAs. The 1998 team also had a banner year, with a third-place showing at the conference meet.
Owen started rowing at Salisbury School in 1984 and while there competed at the West German Junior National Championships. Owen also competed in England at the Henley Royal Regatta.
Owen is a 1992 graduate of Oregon State with a bachelor's degree in housing studies.
Jane LaRiviere is in her sixth season as the Women's Freshman and Novice Coach at Oregon State University.
LaRiviere has guided the program to some of its most successful seasons in school history, and has made it one of the most competitive on the West Coast. One of the highlights of
LaRiviere's coaching career was guiding the 1999 Novice team to a second-place finish in the Women's Varsity four at the Pacific-10 Championships.
As a student at the University of Calgary, LaRiviere rowed for the Calgary Rowing Club. In 1985 her team won the Intermediate Four With at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. LaRiviere began coaching rowing in 1989 while attending the University of Oregon. She went on to coach in Canada at the University of Western Ontario and the London Rowing Club. While in London, Ontario, she assisted with the Women's National Team development camps. During the summer of 1999 LaRiviere volunteered at the Canadian National Team's Pre-World Championship camp.
LaRiviere is a U.S. Rowing Level II certified coach and a Level III certified rowing coach in Canada.
LaRiviere received her bachelor's degree in 1986, her master's degree in 1990, and is presently completing her Ph.D in biomechanics at Oregon State University.
