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Mixed Results For Zags at IRA's
June 5, 2008
CAMDEN, N.J. - The Gonzaga University men's rowing squad opened the 2008 IRA National Championships with mixed results Thursday at Cooper River in Camden, N.J. The Freshman 8+ boat placed third in its morning heat race and then finished second in its Repachage race. The Varsity 8+ had a harder time in its heat race, where it raced against three top-15 squads, finishing sixth. The Bulldogs then closed out the day with a fourth place finish its Repachage race. The Freshman 8+ opened its IRA Championship with a finish of 6:12.096 in the morning heat race. The University of California Berkeley, who is ranked 4th in the IRA Coaches Freshman 8+ Poll, grabbed the victory with a time of 5:58.343. Brown University, ranked 5th in the Coaches Poll, earned a second place finish with a time of 6:03.944. Gonzaga, who took third, was followed by Columbia University (6:17.037), University of Delaware (6:17.099), and MIT (6:31.083). Being the top two finishers, Cal and Brown both earned byes into the semifinals and because the Zags took third place they earned a spot in the first Repachage. Gonzaga was just one seat away from winning its Repachage race. Yale University squeaked out a one second victory over the Bulldogs though, crossing the finish line in 6:04.444. The Zags had a time of 6:05.161. Rounding out the race was Dartmouth College (6:11.488) and the University of Pennsylvania (6:23.503). With its second place finish, the Gonzaga Freshman 8+ will now race in the third semifinal on Friday at 10:24 a.m. The Bulldogs will race against MIT, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Colgate University and Penn for the right to gain a spot in the 3rd Level Final. The Varsity 8+ opened the championship with a sixth place finish in its heat race. California, ranked fourth in the nation, earned the heat victory with a time of 5:59.225. Cornell University, ranked 12th, took second with a finish of 5:52.196, while 5th ranked Princeton University claimed third, clocking in at 5:54.866. Penn and the College of Holy Cross took fourth and fifth, respectively, with times of 6:05.358 and 6:07.484. Gonzaga closed out the course with a time of 6:13.046 for its sixth place finish.
In the fourth Varsity 8+ Repachage, the Zags placed fourth with a time of 6:20.476. The U.S. Naval Academy claimed the victory in a time of 6:04.130, three seconds ahead of second place finisher Purdue University (6:07.723). Georgetown placed third with a time of 6:07.809. Gonzaga will now race in the fourth semifinal on Friday at 9:36 a.m. The race will also feature Penn, George Washington, Purdue, Boston University, and the University of Michigan.
IRA National Championships Varsity 8+ Repachage 4: Freshman 8+ Repachage 1 |
