Seattle Pacific University’s women’s rowing team capped its season with grit and determination at the NCAA Division II women’s rowing championships on Friday, May 30, and Saturday, May 31, in West Windsor, New Jersey.
The Falcons’ Varsity 8+ boat earned a spot in the grand final, where they placed fourth in the nation. Seattle Pacific’s Varsity 4+ boat competed in the petite final and secured a strong victory to close out the weekend.
Day one:
Under cloudy skies and cool East Coast conditions, Seattle Pacific lined up for its opening heats at Mercer Lake.
At 9:00 a.m., the V8+ took on Western Washington University and the University of Central Oklahoma in a three-boat heat. Seattle Pacific got off to a solid start in second place at the 500-meter mark with a two-second lead over Central Oklahoma. Western Washington pulled ahead and held its lead, winning the heat with a time of 6:58.542. The Falcons finished in 7:08.641, sending them into the repechage round later that day.
At 9:30 a.m., the V4+ raced against Western Washington and California Polytechnic University, Humboldt. Seattle Pacific was neck-and-neck with WWU early, but Humboldt surged ahead midway through the race and crossed first in 7:43.210. The Falcons came in third with a time of 8:02.345 and moved on to the repechage.
In the repechage at 2:30 p.m., the V8+ delivered its best race of the day. Locked in a duel with Embry-Riddle University, the Falcons fought hard for the top spot, ultimately finishing second at 7:04.434 — just 1.695 seconds behind. Both teams advanced to the grand final.
At 3:10 p.m., the V4+ needed a top-two finish in its repechage to advance. Seattle Pacific made a powerful push in the middle of the race to challenge Western Washington, but it could not close the gap. The Falcons took third at 7:57.298, qualifying them for Saturday’s petite final.
Day two:
With calmer winds and high stakes, the Falcons lined up for championship day on the water.
At 9:00 a.m., the V8+ raced in lane two of the grand final against Western Washington, Embry-Riddle, and Cal Poly Humboldt. Embry-Riddle and the Vikings broke away early in a dramatic race that came down to fractions of a second. Embry-Riddle took gold in 6:47.178, just 0.788 ahead of Western Washington. Seattle Pacific crossed the line in fourth, just shy of the podium with a time of 7:13.410.
The V4+ was originally scheduled to race earlier, but high winds delayed competition. Once the weather cleared, the Falcons faced Jefferson University in the petite final. Seattle Pacific rowed with precision and composure, finishing in 7:53.973 and defeating Jefferson by more than seven seconds.
Overall, the Falcons earned 13 points, tying with Central Oklahoma, but clinching sole possession of fourth overall thanks to their higher V8+ finish. It marked a strong end to SPU’s 2025 season.
Lineups:
The V8+ was coxed by junior Aleksia Haugen. Seats eight through one were as follows: junior Amelia Pape, junior Emma Jones, senior Audrey Rekedal, freshman Solanes Capps-Mace, junior Bella Lisenby, sophomore Grace Combs, junior Gem Gatmaytan and senior Addie Clark.
Junior Lexi Roybal coxed the V4+. Seats four through one were: sophomore Emmerson Spencer, senior Emma Ely, graduate student Megan Rouse and junior Brittan Dalberg.
