PLU Women's V4 Places Third at WIRA Championships

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. - Pacific Lutheran finished third in the women's varsity 4 grand final at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships that came to a conclusion Sunday afternoon on Lake Natoma.

Western Washington won the race with a time of 7:46.0, followed by Humboldt State at 7:54.6 and PLU at 7:57.5. Seattle Pacific was fourth in 8:03.2, with Seattle U. bringing up the rear in 8:09.0.

Seeing the Lutes on the podium didn't seem a likely occurrence after last week's fifth-place finish at the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference Championships, but the PLU crew, consisting of coxswain Hannah Peay and rowers Abby Smith, Rachel Kisling, Taylor Brunstad and Erin Siebert, would not be denied in today's season-ending championship event.

According to PLU head coach Tone Lawver, the Lutes rowers "fought with Humboldt State back and forth the entire race. PLU was four seats down at the 1000-meter mark and did a huge push through the 900-meter mark to briefly hold second place."

Humboldt regained second place and then held off a hard-charging Lutes team. "If the race went five strokes more PLU would have finished second," Lawver said, adding that "Western Washington was too far out to be caught with a sprint.

"It was a solid turnaround for our varsity women from the conference championships a week ago," Lawver said.

PLU had two other boats in finals on Sunday. In the men's novice lightweight four grand final, PLU finished less than three seconds from the podium, placing fourth. Humboldt State won the event in 7:07.7, followed by Arizona State in 7:08.2, UC-Santa Barbara in 7:22.1 and PLU in 7:23.8.

In the men's varsity eight third final, the Lutes were fourth in a race won by Sonoma State.

- PLU -