SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara men's rowing will compete in the Western Sprints regatta at Lake Natoma in Rancho Cordova, Calif. on Sat., May 17. Gonzaga University, UC San Diego, University of San Diego and Santa Clara make up the field of four teams in the final scheduled race of the Broncos' 2014 sprint season.
"The Western Sprints regatta has a rich legacy in the history of West Coast rowing," head coach Jay Farwell said. "We will be facing some very competitive crews this weekend and we definitely have our work cut out for us. The team is coming off a pretty solid performance at WIRAs, and the past several weeks have been focused on establishing the fastest lineups for the two boats and building additional speed."
Santa Clara is coming off a three-week break from competition after winning silver and bronze medals at the WIRA Championships April 26-27. The Broncos will face the Tritons and Bulldogs for the second time this season, after racing against those crews on March 14 at the Port of Sacramento.
"I can't say enough about this team and the amount of effort that has been put forth by each member," Farwell said. "At the beginning of the season, we knew we were going to have work incredibly hard to catch the crews we will be racing this weekend. We faced Gonzaga and UC San Diego earlier in the season and were fortunate to get some feedback on our speed relative to these crews. We were slower but we have felt that we had an opportunity to be within striking distance by the end of the season. I commend our team for putting in the work to put themselves in a position to be successful at the end of the season."
Santa Clara's lineups for the weekend are as follows:
Varsity 8
Drew Del Toro (Coxswain)
Wally Gonzales
Max Sarver
Junior Varsity 8
Katie McAuliffe (Coxswain)
Patrick Doyle
Karl Termini
"Mark my word, both of these boats are going to come out of the stake boats with one purpose — to qualify for the IRA National Championship," Farwell said. "Whether or not that happens will depend on our speed, focus, and relentless pursuit for the finish line. I am really looking forward to the challenge ahead of this weekend and I know the team welcomes the challenge and opportunity as well."
The lineups include seven seniors who are set to take part in the last regular season race of their collegiate rowing careers: Wetherley, Gonzales, Morales, Moakley, Moya, Keeley and McAuliffe.
"I am especially proud of our seniors," Farwell said. "This group has dealt with a lot over their four years with the program including a coaching change after their sophomore year. This group has really stepped up and provided a foundation for this program to progress into the future. Their commitment, leadership, and genuine appreciation for the opportunity to represent this university in an athletic setting have provided the underclassmen with an understanding of what it means to be an Santa Clara rower."
