Varsity 8+, Junior Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+ all finish second in morning round of CRC.

April 19, 2008

BOSTON, Mass. - The Gonzaga University women's rowing squad had a solid morning outing in the first round of the Charles River Challenge co-hosted by both Boston University and Northeastern University Saturday. All three Zag boats closed out their morning races with second place finishes.

Brown University earned victories in all three events over Gonzaga this morning, including the Varsity 8+, Junior Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+.

Brown, who is ranked 11th in the latest Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/USRowing Top-20, earned the Varsity 8+ victory with a time of 6:25.70. The Bulldogs came in second, defeating host Boston, by a mere second. The Zags finished the 2,000-meter course in a time of 6:34.70, while the Terriers were clocked in at 6:35.30.

"It was a close race between both us and Boston all the way down the course," stated head coach Melissa Flint. "It was so nice to pull out the win. We're glad to have this race under our belt and get in the learning experience that only racing can give you. We're looking forward to racing both Northeastern and Syracuse University this evening."

Brown's Junior Varsity 8+ earned the first place victory with a time of 6:33.20. Gonzaga came in second, finishing with a time of 6:45.00, while Boston was third with a finish of 6:46.40.

Gonzaga closed out the morning racing with a strong second place finish in the Varsity 4+. The Bulldogs crossed the finish line in a time of 7:24.70; eight seconds behind Brown who earned the victory with a time of 7:16.30. Boston again came in last with a finish of 7:44.80.

All three Gonzaga boats will face Northeastern and Syracuse in the second round of the CRC this afternoon. The Junior Varsity 8+ hits the water at 2:25 p.m., while the Varsity 8+ rows at 3:25 p.m. The Varsity 4+ rounds out the days racing at 3:55 p.m.