Members of the Viking women's rowing team pose by holding up four fingers to represent the four consecutive years they have won the NCAA Division II National Championship. The competition was held Sunday at the Sacramento Aquatic Center on Lake Natoma. photo courtesy of Angie Rosillo
Anticipation rose nationally and tears fell before the No.1-ranked Viking women’s rowing team of eight began their race Sunday in the grand finals at the NCAA Division II National Championship, held at the Sacramento Aquatic Center on Lake Natoma.
Months of training, early morning practices, traveling and hard work paid dividends for the Vikings yet again as they won their record-setting fourth consecutive NCAA Division II national title, making them the only women's rowing team in any division to win four titles in a row.
The gravity of the race and the realization this would be the last time the team would compete together tugged at Western’s emotions, but they were able to maintain their composure and compete with the same intensity and passion as always, Western senior and team captain Metta Gilbert said.
“We definitely didn’t just wipe [the emotions] away; we recognized [them] and then put our game faces on, so we could focus and row the best we could,” she said.
Gilbert said being a compassionate, strong-willed and emotional team has been advantageous to their chemistry but they always make sure it doesn’t get in the way of their success.
“The drama always stays on land, so there is nothing but purity on the water,” she said.
Sunday morning, the Vikings set the pace by finishing first in the grand finals in the eight and four person races. Western’s eight finished the 2,000-meter race in 6 minutes, 53.20 seconds while the four completed it in 7:57.54.
In both races University of California San Diego took second place three boat lengths behind the Vikings.
Western rowing coach John Fuchs said the team was successful because they stayed focused and stuck to their race strategy all weekend.
“They executed the race plans really well, and they basically dominated both races and both heats on Friday,” Fuchs said. “They’re just an exceptional group.”
For seniors Gilbert, Amelia Whitcomb, Staci Reynolds and Samantha Marikis, this weekend capped rowing careers that include four national titles in which they never lost a single race against a Division II school.
“I think for the seniors to round out their careers undefeated in Division II is pretty spectacular,” Fuchs said. “It’s rare to have athletes go through their whole career and win four national championships.”
While the Vikings beat every Division II team they faced, they did lose to some Division I teams this year.
Gilbert said rowing against Division I schools helped the team prepare for the national tournament by pushing them to be faster and compete at a higher level. She said Division II schools rarely have the opportunity to test themselves against such hard opponents.
“Being able to experience that level of competition is a pretty cool thing for a Division II school,” she said. “It’s a pretty different world.”
Junior co-captain Audrey Coon said competing against Division I schools made them work harder and increased their drive to succeed.
The team arrived in Sacramento with a healthy confidence from their win at the regional tournament, where the ream renewed their belief in the team’s ability to sweep the tournament, Gilbert said.
They were also familiar with the Lake Natoma course after racing there twice this year. Knowing the course and feeling comfortable on the lake may have provided Western with a slight advantage, she said.
Coon said the team’s dedication and heart have been major factors in their success this year and in past seasons. Their heart is evidenced by the fact none of them were recruited to row for Western, but instead they all tried the sport as freshmen, got hooked, stuck with it and have been successful, she said.
“All of the women on the team are really dedicated individuals who love athletics and found rowing to be a passion of theirs,” Coon said.
In an attempt to avoid the distractions and the pressures of the national tournament, the team turned their attention to practicing and following their race plan, she said.
“When the pressure is on, I think we do a really good job of keeping it in perspective, remaining composed and getting the job done,” Coon said.
Gilbert said paying attention to the little things, such as technique, nutrition, going to bed early and not spending too much time in the sun helped them take their mind off the possibility of winning a fourth title. This mindset helped them prepare for each individual race instead of being sucked into the hype of the national tournament, she said.
Western’s drive to succeed is not limited to their accomplishments on the water — it also translates to their academic performance.
Three seniors — Reynolds, Gilbert and Marikis — were selected to the 2008 Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/NCAA Division II Pocock Women’s Rowing All-American team, while four other rowers were picked as CRCA Scholar Athletes.
“Our team does a really good job of focusing on what needs to be accomplished,” Gilbert said. “We just keep our heads in the boat and do what we need to do.”
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