Boxer rowing team moves forward in year two

Boxer rowing team moves forward in year two

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In it for the long haul: A collegiate rowing program, like Rome, isn't built in a day. Completing her second season at the helm, head coach Amanda Dudley knows that the coaching of that program is also a long-term commitment.
 
"This sport is not for the faint of heart," said Dudley, who is building the program from the ground up, or in this case, the water up. "Crack of dawn practices in the cold and rain and lots of hard work," she explained. "Building a team that competes in an endurance sport has its challenges and I know that it is going to take time."
 
The Boxers completed year two on the water in 2015-16. Four rowers returned from Pacific's inaugural season (2014-15) as the program continues to grow with many positive points to build on.
 
The core: Returning and completing for a second year in the water were Kristen Beebe, Haley Gee, Jen Hofer and Sierra Myers. By virtue of academic standing, Dudley will lose Myers and Hofer to graduation. "Sierra was without a doubt the fiercest competitor on our squad," Dudley said. "She always pushed herself and her teammates to keep improving and her drive to be the best was a trait that I hope all of her teammates and future Boxers rowers will emulate. Jen was a reliable, consistent presence and was always looking out for the best interests of the team. Both of our seniors stepped up to the plate to support their teammates on numerous occasions this year while balancing academics and part-time jobs on top of training and competing. These women have each set positive examples in their own ways for our young team and will be missed on next year's roster."
 
Hosting milestone: The Boxer rowing program and Pacific administration hosted the Northwest Conference Championships in late April at Vancouver Lake. It was a huge endeavor to tackle for a young program, and Dudley's group pulled it off flawlessly. "The site (Vancouver Lake) was not our home venue, so it took a joint effort with our administration, event management, facilities people and our team to put on a good event," Dudley said after the races. "There were five women's teams and four men's squads competing, and all of the races started safely and on time."
 
Good company: Pacific Lutheran won the title, in what is rapidly becoming a tough rowing conference--also only in its second year as an official sport in the NWC. "It was an exciting year for Northwest Conference Rowing," Dudley said. "We are only in our second year as a conference and three of our five teams received votes in CRCA Coaches' Polls for national top-15 rankings."
 
Season Highlight?: At the Husky Open in Seattle, the Boxers may have had their best showing of the season. In the Collegiate Women's 3V8+, Pacific sat just behind a team from Washington State for the entire race, but a furious sprint over the last 500 meters pushed the Boxers past the Cougars by half a boat length. "We had turned a corner the week before in training and mindset," Dudley recalled. "It showed in that race."
 
Continued growth:  "At Pacific, we saw big improvements throughout the spring on and off the water," Dudley added. "We made some noticeable technical improvements over two months and had some important shifts in attitude and team dynamic that greatly helped our performance both on race day and at practice. Our crew got their first taste of what real racing feels like at the Husky Open and ended the season on a positive note in the varsity four at WIRAs in northern California."
 
Honors: Freshman Kimberly Parsons was named to the All-Northwest Conference team and sophomore Haley Gee was named Pacific's Most Inspirational rowing team member.
 
Making a splash for the first time: In addition to Parsons, other team members completing their first year on the squad were Krista Cave, Danith Davis, Mary Emma Meyer and Cecilia Oaks.
 
Looking ahead: "Heading into 2016-17, we will be focusing on getting stronger and faster to start to be competitive in what's turning into a pretty tough conference," Dudley said. "We have a committed group of returning athletes with positive attitudes and a lot of athletic potential. They are looking forward to welcoming next year's novices and tackling another exciting competition schedule in the fall and spring."
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