VANCOUVER, Wash. – The Lewis & Clark Pioneers split their squads, sending the men to Eugene to race on Dexter Lake at the Collegiate Covered Bridge Regatta and the WSquad to the Pioneer Invitational on their home course on Vancouver Lake. Racing conditions were excellent for the regatta, in stark contrast to the previous year's competition.
THE BASICS
10:00 AM, Women's varsity 8+
10:15 AM, Women's second varsity 8+
11:15 AM, Women's novice 4+
11:40 AM, Women's varsity 4+ (A)
12:00 PM, Women's Varsity 4+ (B)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The women's varsity 8+'s were the first race down the course at 10:00am. The four boat race saw all conference rivals line up against each other for the first time this season. Puget Sound took the top spot, while the Pioneers fought with Pacific to the finish line, coming through the line at 7:49.9 in fourth. The boat was helmed by Ella Radvany, with Sadie Meredith-Andrews in stroke, Zoe Mitchell in seven, Libby Barrese in six, Clare Kimmel in five, Emma Wind in four, Amber Hayes in three, Meredith Lybbert in two, and Charlie Bastunskiy in bow.
The second varsity 8+'s kicked off the next event with just Pacific Lutheran and Lewis & Clark in a duel-style race. Lewis & Clark was up on the Lutes at the start and was able to walk away after the first 500 meters of the course. The Pioneers finished 17.7 seconds ahead of the Lutes, crossing the line with a time of 8:16.4. This was the highest place finish for the Pioneers of the day. Morgan Anderson was at the helm, with Sunny Greenblum in seven, Carmen Aaronson in seven, Mariah Schafhausen in six, Charlotte Gregson in five, Masha Glazneva in four, Ella Shanava in three, Alany Padilla Camacho in two, and Ana Cabrera in the bow.
The Pioneers raced two fours in the second half of the day, with the A boat 11:40am and the B boat at 12:00pm. The A four had a strong start 500 but was outpaced through the middle of the race to finish in fourth. Radvany was at the helm, with Barrese in four, Meredith-Andrews in three, Mitchell in two, and Kimmel in the bow. The B four was a novice-varsity composite boat and finished third in their race after a fight with Pacific Lutheran down the course. Despite a boat-stopping crab, the crew finished in contact with the Lutes, coming in three seconds behind them. The boat was helmed by Anderson, with Bastunskiy in the bow, Wind in three, Hayes in two, and Grace MacDonald in the bow.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Kimmel returns to racing after fighting off an illness as well as a wrist injury
- Eight athletes doubled up for racing for the day, making two trips down the course
WHAT'S NEXT
The Pioneers head back to Vancouver Lake on April 19th to race against conference rivals at the Northwest Conference Championships.
