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June 3, 2009

This Week
Gonzaga University men’s rowing will send three crews, including its 19th ranked Varsity 8+, to compete in the 107th annual Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Regatta that will take this Thursday, June 4, through Saturday, June 6 at Lake Natoma in Sacramento, Calif. Along with the Varsity 8+, the Bulldogs Second Varsity 8+, and Freshman 8+ will row at the IRA Regatta. This is the second year Gonzaga will send a Varsity 8+ crew to the IRA Regatta, having earned its first bid a season ago. The Second Varsity 8+ will appear for the first-time ever in school history, while the Freshman 8+ is appearing for the third time.

The IRA Regatta represents the national championships for collegiate crew. The men’s Varsity 8+ winner is generally regarded as the men’s overall collegiate champion, though the IRA Regatta also features an overall points winner which earns the Ten Eyck Trophy.

Attached above is the three-day regatta schedule. Each day’s action starts at 8 a.m., with the Varsity 8+ qualifying heats kicking things off on June 4 at 8 a.m. The Bulldogs will race in the third qualifying heat, set to begin at 8:30 a.m. The Second Varsity 8+ qualifying heat is at 9:12 a.m. on Thursday and the Freshman 8+ hits the water at 9:36 a.m.

Key Notes about Gonzaga and the IRA’s
• This is the first year that the Gonzaga University men’s rowing program qualified three 8+ boats.

• Gonzaga University men’s rowing is one of four West Coast schools to qualify three 8+ crews; others being the University of California, the University of Washington and Stanford University.

Last Time Out
The Gonzaga University men’s rowing team has had a little over a month to prepare for the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Regatta as it last hit the water on May 2-3 at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships. The Bulldogs had a near perfect weekend at the WIRA’s as their Varsity 8+ crew and Second Varsity 8+ crew both won gold and the Freshman 8+ captured silver. Pat Swihart, Brendan McCarthy and Greg Malman each garnered All-WIRA first team accolades and Brian Franceschi was tabbed for the All-WIRA second team.

Bulldog IRA Lineups
Varsity 8+: Alex Chalk, Greg Malman, Brendan McCarthy, Andrew Krug, Pat Swihart, Benjamin Schwarz, Matt White, Michael Anderson, Connor Wege.

Second Varsity 8+: Sean Finerty, Neil Coppinger, Pat Moran, Julian Stephanski, Will Griffith, Brian Franceschi, KC Anderson, Nick Willard, Sean Ryan.

Freshman 8+: Chris Light, Connor Murphy, Jeremy Lazzara, Colt Kesselring, Marc Bales, Sam Freegood, Jak Avella, Tyler Mendiola, Scott Selfridge.

Tidbits about the Zags: Sean Finerty, Pat Swihart, Brendan McCarthy, Greg Malman, Patrick Moran and Michael Anderson were all members of the Varsity 8+ crew that took 21st at the IRA’s in 2008.

Julian Stephanski, Andrew Krug, Connor Wege, Neil Coppinger, Nick Willard and Benjamin Schawz were all members of the Freshman 8+ that won their last two races in the 2008 IRA’s to place 13th.

Weather Forecast
Thursday, June 4: Scattered thunderstorms. Temperature: 78 degrees. Wind: SW 6 Mph. Precip: 30%

Friday, June 5: Thunderstorms. Temperature: 73 degrees. Wind: SSW 11 Mph. Precip: 60%

Saturday, June 6: Isolated Thunderstorms. Temperature: 78 degrees. Wind: SSW 7 mph. Precip: 30%

Head Coach Dan Gehn’s Thoughts
“We are extremely excited to have three boats at this year’s IRA’s. Our team is ready to take on the championships”

A Look Back at the Zags 2008 IRA Regatta
The Gonzaga University men’s rowing Freshman 8+ won two races in as many days to finish 13th in the nation at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Regatta. The Bulldogs, who in 2008 raced on Cooper River in Camden, N.J., took gold in the 3rd Level Final on the final day, squeaking out an impressive one and a half second victory. The Zag Varsity 8+ closed out the championship a season ago with a third place finish in the 4th Level Final to claim 21st in the nation.

The Freshman 8+, making only its second appearance in the IRA National Championships in 2008 and first since the 2006 campaign, had its second-straight sub-six minute finish in its final race. The Bulldogs closed out the course in a winning time of 5:53.913. Hobart College and Cornell University crossed the finish line neck and neck for second and third positions. Hobart took second with a finish of 5:55.456, while Cornell placed third at 5:55.833. Rounding out the final was Dartmouth College (4th; 5:58.960), Georgetown University (5th; 6:00.741), and Columbia University (6:04.675). In 2006, the Freshman 8+ finished fourth in the 3rd Level Final to rank 16th in the nation.

The Varsity 8+, who was racing at the IRA National Championships for the first time in school history, closed out the week with their best finish, placing third in the 4th Level Final to rank 21st in the nation. The Bulldog eight rowed a time of 5:52:080 to hold off Purdue University by a half a second. Georgetown won the 4th Level Final with a time of 5:49.200 with George Washington University taking second at 5:50.540. Purdue finished at 5:52.570, while Colgate University (5:52.960) and College of Holy Cross (5:59.370) rounded out the field with a fifth and sixth place finish, respectively.