Western Washington pulled away from the field in both NCAA Division II qualification races, maintaining its standing as the top squad in the region. Humboldt State placed second in both important races, with Seattle Pacific closing the gap significantly from last week's showing at HSU's home regatta in the varsity eight.
In the varsity four, HSU held on to its No. 2 position, rowing the 2,000 meter course in 8 minutes, 33.29 seconds to place ahead of rivals Seattle Pacific (8:36.52) and UC San Diego (8:50.17). The varsity eight qualifier found the Jacks, with a time of 7:39.08, slipping just ahead of the SPU Falcons, who finished in 7:40.16.
"We were neck-in-neck with Seattle Pacfic," HSU head coach Robin Meiggs said. "I expect that we'll still be No. 2 behind Western Washington when the NCAA puts out its rankings this week."
For the Jacks, the novice competition proved less satisfying, with last-place finishes in both the eight and second novice eight events. The novice four boat won its heat to earn a spot in the final, but didn't have an exceptional row in that event, according to Meiggs.
"The novice eight competition was very disappointing," Meiggs said. "There's no good reason for today's results. They have to try to get past distractions, but (the athletes) said they felt like they just gave up."
Humboldt State takes a week off from competition, focusing on preparation for the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference championships, scheduled for April 19.
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