Squad has promising showing in San Diego

  MICHAEL MANTEL The women’s rowing team hauls its boat out
of the water after placing fifth out of seven teams at the Cal Cup
qualifying heat.

By Jessica Bach
Daily Bruin Contributor

For the women’s crew team, Sunday’s races at the San
Diego Crew Classic Regatta weren’t about the results; it was
the fact that they were there. They were there to compete with top
teams and prove that they are worthy adversaries.

On Saturday, both the Novice 8 and Varsity 8 confirmed each team
could hold its own when they qualified to compete the next day in
their divisions. The Novice came in sixth while the Varsity
came in third.

The Crew Classic allows several finals for each division
depending on the results of the preliminary races held last
Saturday. The Grand, Petite and Third finals hold greater
significance respectively.

The Novice 8 managed to make it to Sunday’s Grand Final,
where they finished sixth with a time of 7:29.63, behind
established programs such as Washington State, which finished first
in 6:59.20, Washington with 7:02.79 followed in second, Oregon
State finishing third with a time of 7:02.70, Virginia in fourth
place with 7:05.19, and Cal with 7:05.52 finishing fifth.

“It is just really exciting,” first-year novice
rower Monica Grover said. “We wanted to prove that it was
important that we were there. We weren’t expecting to win the
Grand Final, (but) we don’t want to be taken lightly
either.”

The Varsity 8 also qualified to race on Sunday in the third
final of the Women’s Cal Cup. They came in third at 7:14.60
behind Purdue’s winning time of 7:09.67, and two seconds
behind second place finisher Temple’s 7:12.76.

“I am pleased with the race, but not satisfied,”
varsity fifth-year rower Jennifer Carey-Ruiz said. “We did
reach our goal of making it to Sunday, and it is certainly nice to
achieve your goal, but we know there are a lot of improvements that
need to be made.”

Also pleased with the Novice’s trip to the Grand Final,
Varsity looks at their achievement as an announcement to other
schools.

“It was awesome to have a fast novice program and for them
to make it in the Grand Final,” Carey-Ruiz said. “It
makes an important statement for the program. These aren’t
scholarship players, and it says a lot for them to compete with
these other top schools.”

The Bruins will head back home next weekend for action against
Loyola Marymount.