Event: WIRA Championships
Record: Aggies 6-1
Where: Lake Natoma – Gold River, Calif.
When: Saturday, Sunday all day
Who to watch: Darcy Ward is the only senior on the First Varsity Eight team. Her presence as the No. 5 boatman has offered steady leadership and experience for a young team.
Did you know? The Aggies have placed no worse than the top three in two of the last three events.
They were unable to advance past the first day in competition last season.
Preview: With the program ending after this season, UC Davis realizes their window for competitive rowing is closing by the minute.
Coach Carrissa Adams, meanwhile, believes that her team’s unwillingness to quit was what she admired most about them this season.
The Aggies take their positive attitude on the road after a come-from-behind win in the NorCal/SoCal Challenge over San Diego State and St. Mary’s College.
The first varsity eight team posted a six minutes and 46.08 seconds mark as their late rally over the Aztecs was fast enough to earn them the top spot. San Diego State came in second with a time of six minutes and 48.59 seconds.
Adams is content with the win, but she knows her team has yet to put together a complete performance in their races.
“I think they are conditioned very well,” Adams said. “We have to work on the first part of the race so we’re not always relying on a comeback.”
The NorCal/SoCal Challenge did, however, provide a fair barometer for what the WIRA holds for them this weekend.
“[The win] gave us the opportunity to see what we need to do before the WIRA championships,” Adams said.
The Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association event is one of the final tests for this young, but proud team as the Aggies hope to deliver a championship for the first time in the last five years.
Although the Aggies haven’t finished better than second since the 2006-2007 season, there should be more incentive for pulling off a competitive victory this time around.
As Adams put it, “only time will tell.”
– Marcos Rodriguez
