Pirates earn two top-3's at WIRAs

RANCHO CORDOVA -- The Orange Coast College women's crew is finding its best times when they matter the most as the Pirates earned a pair of top-3 times at the 2022 Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships at Lake Natoma.

In the Women's Novice 8 race, the boat of Kelly Dory, Becky Huang, Emma Hallums, Lauren Koerner, Sarah Chiaromonte, Julia Dervieux, Kendall Colbert, Alina van Eeghen and coxswain Isabella Sendowsky battled the University of San Diego and Santa Clara to the final stroke in this six-boat race. In the end, USD prevailed in open water with a time of 7:17.3, but the drama came in the battle for second betweek Santa Clara and OCC. By the slimmest of margins, the Broncos edged out the Pirates by a bow ball with a time of 7:30.1, while Coast came in third at 7:30.2.

Coast also competed in the Women's Novice 4 and the crew of Elena Estwick, Emme Cirillo, Sarah Hooper, Christian Cristobal and coxswain Margaux Hart earned a convincing second-place spot in the standings with an impressive time of 9:55.0. Cal Poly Humboldt earned the top spot with a time of 9:38.5, while the University of Puget Sound (10:03.5) finished third behind the Pirates, along with Chico State (10:23.8), Santa Clara (10:45.9), St. Mary's (11:05.9) and Southern Oregon University (11:40.5). 

The final competition of the 2022 season will take place at the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) Championships, set for May 20-24 on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.