Beavers Eager to Race at Pac-12 Championships Sunday
May 16, 2013
Racing for the first time in the month of May, the Oregon State women's rowing team will take to the waters of Lake Natoma in Rancho Cordova, Calif. for the Pac-12 Rowing Championships, Sunday, May 19.
"We've had a good season so far and are racing well right now," head coach Emily Ford said. "We've gained a lot of confidence as the season has gone on and I'm very excited to see what kind of speed we can generate on race day."
With no heats, all four Oregon State boats will compete in Grand Finals beginning with the Novice Eight at 9 a.m., Varsity Four (9:30 a.m.), Second Varsity Eight (10 a.m.) and Varsity Eight (10:30 a.m.).
Fans can follow the action via live results provided by JAMCO at this link. The Pac-12 Championships will also be televised via tape delay on the Pac-12 Networks, Saturday, May 25. Check local listings for times.
Oregon State, which is receiving votes in the latest CRCA/USRowing Coaches Poll released Wednesday, will have its work cut out for it racing against a field of six ranked teams. USC's undefeated V8 is ranked No. 1 in the nation, while California (No. 2), Washington (No. 4), UCLA (No. 7) and Stanford (No. 10) have top 10 crews. Washington State is ranked No. 17 to round out the field.
"This team is looking really good. It looks as strong as it has in a few years. We hope to have our best races of the season and see where that leads us."
The results from Sunday's race will put the final touches on the Beavers' résumé for a berth at the NCAA Championships May 31-June 2 at Eagle Creek, Ind. With a new format for NCAA qualifications a first place team finish (V8, 2V8 and V4) earns one of 11 automatic qualifying spots. Eleven other at-large openings remain available for the 22-team field.
In 2012, Oregon State finished seventh at the Pac-12 Championships with 8.5 team points. The Beavers' V8 (6:49.5) and 2V8 (7:05.1) finished seventh, while their V4 (7:36.9) finished sixth and N8 (7:05.9) came in fifth.
The Beavers' best finish at the conference championships is second, which they placed in 1980. OSU came in third in 2009, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997 and 1979.
Lake Natoma is located in the metropolitan Sacramento area, near the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is fed by the snow melt, by the American River and is a year-round, multi-use recreational area. The race course is a world-class facility for rowing, kayaking, canoeing, and other water sports. The facility is run by the Sacramento State Aquatic Center and the California State Parks and Recreation.
Admission to the Pac-12 Championships is $5 and parking, managed by the State of California Parks Department, is $10. Directions, venue information and additional coverage can be found at the Pac-12 Rowing Championships page found here.
http://championships.pac-12.com/rowing/2013/05/06/pac-12-coaches-explain-unique-rowing-terms/
