Seattle, WA. 19 members of the Lions Rowing Club traveled to the USRowing 2006 Masters National Championships August 10 through 13th, raced in 20 events, 17 finals and came home with a total of 7 medals.
The Lions Rowing Club won National Championships in the Women's AA Quad, the Men's A Quad, and the Mixed B Eight. Silver Medals went to the Women's A Eight and Club A Eight, as well as the Women's A Four. The Men's B Quad placed in the Bronze position.
This was the first trip to Masters National Championships for the LionsRC since 2003, when the Lions won two national titles in Sacramento, CA. The Lions were excited about the event's return to the West Coast and have been preparing for the race since. Coaches and rowers alike are equally pleased about the results both as a reward for the hard work of the summer, and as an early indicator of potential for success in fall events.
Racing began on Thursday morning with heats in the Women's A Double. Ashley Peterson and Sara-Mai Conway placed 1st in their heat, advancing to the Saturday final. In the final, and the duo placed 4th out of the 13 entries, missing the medals podium by .6 seconds. Pocock won the event.
The Women's C 4+ of coxswain Anna Liberovsky, Sam Dillsi, Larissa Zavarzina, Morgan Kays and Laura Menoher placed third in a tight heat to advance to the final. Saturday's final brought them a 6th place finish in a 13 boat field.
In the Women's A 4+, coxswain Emina Ong, Susie Kloet, Becky Hudson, Ashley Peterson and Andria Shook placed 2nd in their heat, .5 seconds off first place, advancing to the final. In the field of 15 boats, they placed 4th in the final behind Lake Washington, and the A and B entries from Lake Union.
Thursday afternoon racing was tough, with the Lions narrowly missing out on two key finals. In the Mixed A 2x the duo of Andria Shook and Guillermo Lemus were edged out of the final by .2 seconds in a photo finish. In another close finish, the Women's B 8+ missed the finals by 1.3 seconds. The Lions RC boat was fourth in a heat where the entire field was faster than the winners of the second heat.
On Friday morning, the women's AA 4+ of Ashley Peterson, Becky Hudson, Susie Kloet and Andria Shook convincingly won their heat 7 seconds and open water ahead of the field. In a fast final, the boat placed second behind Lake Union to capture the silver medal.
Friday afternoon, the Women's A 8+ of Coxswain Emina Ong, Stroke Ashley Peterson, Sara-Mai Conway, Susie Kloet, Andria Shook, Lori Guerrero, Kathy Hein, Becky Hudson and Adrienne Lao placed first in their heat, 5 seconds ahead of fellow advancers River City Rowing Club and Lake Union Crew. The line-up from Lions raced in one of the most exciting finals of Sunday, where only 1.4 seconds separated the top three crews. The Lions raced to a silver medal finish, .3 seconds behind winners Lake Washington, at the top of a field of 11 boats.
In the Women's C 4x, the Lions line-up of Sam Dillsi, Larissa Zavarzina, Laura Menoher and Erika Anderson placed 3rd in their heat to advance to the final. Sunday's final brought them a 6th place finish out of the field of 12.
Saturday and Sunday also saw some finals-only racing. Among the straight-to-final events was the Men's B 4x where the Lions captured a Bronze medal behind Saugatuck and Texas.
Other Saturday finals included the 7 boat Women's Club A8+ race. The Lions raced hard to a silver medal finish in this event. Establishing their women's A eights as some of the best in the country.
The women's AA 4x took home the gold in their 4-boat event. After un unsuccessful row in the A Quad, hindered by a crab in some choppy water, the line-up of Ashley Peterson, Andria Shook, Susie Kloet and Sara-Mai Conway was excited for the chance to race again. The four cleanly pulled ahead of the field at the start, increasing their lead on the way down the 1000 meter course.
In Sunday's finals-only racing, the women's club A 4+ of Anna Liberozsky, Becky Hudson, Kathy Hein, Adrienne Lao and Isela Pardo placed 4th of 7. An excellent job for a group of girls who just completed the Learn to Row Program last summer and all of whom have been rowing for less than two years.
The final event for the Lions was the Mixed B8+ on Sunday afternoon. The LionsRC won this event in 2003 and was looking to gain back "The Great Eight" trophy. The Lions pushed through their competitors at the 400 meter mark and held the lead from there to the finish line. The line-up included coaches Patrick Kelly and Guillermo Lemus, Sam Dillsi, Larissa Zavarzina, Lori Guerrero, and Morgan Kays.
Full Results are below and can also be seen at www.RaceTrak.com :
For more information on rowing with the Lions Rowing Club, go to www.LionsRC.com.
• Mixed B 8+ - 1st
• Women's AA 4x - 1st
• Men's A 4x - 1st
• Women's AA 4+ - 2nd
• Women's Club A 8+ - 2nd
• Women's A 8+ - 2nd
• Men's B 4x - 3rd
• Women's A 2x - 4th
• Women's B 8+ - 4th
• Men's B 2x - 4th
• Women's A 4+ - 4th
• Women's Club B 4x - 4th
• Women's Club A 4+ - 4th
• Women's Lt. B 2x - 5th
• Women's B 4x - 7th
• Women's C 4x - 6th
• Women's C 4+ - 6th
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