Feb. 22, 2005

USD Women's Rowing competed on Mission Bay this past weekend against San Diego State University and Orange Coast College in their first race of the season. The events of the morning were the Varsity Eight; JV Eight; First Novice Eight; Second Novice Eight and Varsity Four. Conditions were less than ideal with rain, winds and considerable chop, but each of the three teams handled the water confidently.

USD's Varsity Eight took control of the field immediately, gaining open water on SDSU and OCC within the first two minutes of their race. The Toreros made it look easy as they walked away from the Aztecs in all five of their races, finishing with lengths of open water. The JV also showed a strong performance against the Aztecs, winning the first two of their five events. The walk-on Torero Novice squad held their own against the recruits of SDSU, gaining great experience in their first sprint races.

"The team as a whole had a great showing this weekend," commented first-year Head Coach, Joan O'Hara. "San Diego State has earned a reputation for being very fast, having placed fifth at Head of the Charles this fall. So we are very pleased to have the Varsity boats handle them so well this early in the season. We haven't yet started to train for the 2K distance. We've been working primarily on base endurance and low stroke ratings. So we are extremely optimistic about what we are going to be able to accomplish this season. We are very much looking forward to seeing our West Coast Conference rivals in March."