Nov. 16, 2006

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - The Santa Clara University women's crew completed a solid weekend outing with strong performances at the Newport Autumn Rowing Festival. The Broncos turned in a seventh-place finish among the 21 crews at the event.

The Varsity 8 tied for seventh place with a time of 17:27 on the 2.7-mile course at Newport Beach. Seniors Katie Fahrer, Tracy Flecky, Jenny O'Neill and Molly Hagen paced a solid effort that led the Broncos to a finish in the meet's top third of teams.

"I was very pleased with the effort this weekend and the improvements the team has made during the fall season," said SCU women's crew head coach Carlo Facchino. "This was the first year that Santa Clara has had the chance to make the trip to Newport for the regatta and it's kept us focused over the fall. The race gives everyone something to look forward to and work hard for. We've still got a lot of hard work ahead of us but we've got a great group of seniors who are all willing to do what it takes to jump over the bar that was set last year."

The Women's Varsity Four came in 17th out of 21 crews with a time of 21:15, while the Novice "A" boat took 13th out of 20 crews with a time of 20:20 and the Novice "B" boat finished 18th with a time of 22:29.

On the men's side, the Varsity Eight "A" boat came in 17th out of 27 crews with a time of 16:12, while the Varsity Eight "B" boat finished 26th with a time of 17:54.