The Seattle University men’s club rowing team travelled to Gainsville, Ga. to compete in the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ARCA) Championships last weekend and won the gold in the Lightweight Novice 4+ event.

Seattle U won the final with a time of 7:07.136, narrowly edging out Michigan, which finished with a time of 7:07.429.

“We knew going in that Michigan was going to be fast and after racing against UC Santa Barbara and beating them to take the gold at our conference championship we knew that we would have a target on our back,” novice rowing coach Nichole Martin said. “It was great to see a smaller west coast school pull out the win.”

Both the novice and varsity level teams set a season high record for wins and medals.

“It’s a testament to how hard all of the athletes have worked, especially the seniors,” said Matt Snead men’s rowing club president. “When the seniors started as freshmen, the program had 10 members and struggled to find success. As we leave the program, this team expects to win not just in the west but in any part of the nation.”

Heading into the season, the novice team had a goal of sending a boat to nationals. Bringing home the gold medal was an achievement that far exceeded their expectations.

AJ may be reached at
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