March 28, 2006

SAN DIEGO -

SDSU Women's Crew Weekly Release in PDF Format
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AZTEC ROWERS GEAR UP FOR 33RD ANNUAL SAN DIEGO CREW CLASSIC
* After a three-week hiatus, the San Diego State women's rowing team returns to action this weekend when it competes in the 33rd Annual San Diego Crew Classic, April 1-2, at Crown Point Shores on Mission Bay. The Aztecs will have four crews participating in the prestigious two-day regatta, which commences Saturday at 7:30 a.m.

As a result of its impressive victory in the Cal Cup at the 2005 Crew Classic, the SDSU varsity boat moves up a notch in competition this year to contend for the Jessop-Whittier Cup. The scarlet and black will challenge 12 other schools in the race, including arch-rival Loyola Marymount, USC, Wisconsin, Notre Dame and defending national champion California.

"This year's (varsity) event will be a lot different than the one we were in last year," said Aztec head coach Jennifer Zebroski. "I told our team we need to stay focused throughout the race no matter how the other boats are doing, because the opposition is going to be a lot faster than it was last year. If we can keep ourselves mentally in the race, then I think we'll be successful."

SDSU is scheduled to compete in Heat B of the Jessop-Whittier Cup on Saturday, beginning at 8:50 a.m. The Aztecs are also slated to race in the women's junior varsity (Heat C - 10:10 a.m.), women's collegiate novice (Heat C - 11 a.m.) and women's open (Heat C - 12:30 p.m.) categories.

"I feel the JV boat also has a chance to do really well this weekend," Zebroski added. "One of our strengths this year has been our depth, and because of that, I think our JVs will be a factor."

FLASHBACK: 2005 SAN DIEGO CREW CLASSIC
* The San Diego State women's rowing team wrapped up a successful weekend at the 2005 San Diego Crew Classic on April 3, as the varsity boat captured the Mesa Distributing/Samuel Adams California Cup on the final day of competition at Crown Point Shores on Mission Bay. The SDSU lightweight and novice crews also had impressive outings, placing third and fourth in their respective races.

Posting its first Cal cup victory since 1999, the Aztec varsity boat crossed the finish line with a winning time of 6 minutes, 52.4 seconds and was followed closely by Central Florida (6:54.25) and Sacramento State (6:54.76). Miami (6:56.92), UC Davis (6:57.47) and Kansas State (7:07.50) rounded out the six boats which competed in the championship race.

"The Cal Cup win today was a huge step for SDSU rowing," head coach Jennifer Zebroski said. "Our intense training showed in the results today and hopefully this will help our confidence for the rest of the season."

The lightweight boat finished third in the A.W. Coggeshall Cup with a time of 7:17.69, less than one second behind the second-place boat, UC Santa Barbara (7:17.69), and 11-plus seconds back of Stanford (7:08.1).

The novice boat, meanwhile, placed fourth in the battle for the Sea World San Diego Trophy with a 7:23.09 clocking, outpacing Texas (7:23.75) and Washington State (7:27.33).

LOOKING AHEAD
* After the Crew Classic, SDSU remains in "America's Finest City" the following weekend for the San Diego City Championships on April 8, as the Aztecs compete for local bragging rights against cross-town rivals San Diego and UC San Diego.

The scarlet and black will then hit the road for the remainder of the season, traveling to Marina Del Rey, Calif., for the 31st Annual Miller Cup on April 23, before a pair of return trips to Lake Natoma in Northern California for two highly-competitive regattas -- the WIRA Championships on April 29-30, and the Pac-10 Rowing Championships on May 14.

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2006 SAN DIEGO CREW CLASSIC INFO
Admission: $7 each day or $10 for both days. Free for children under 13 and active duty military.

Parking: Preferred parking on site is $10 per day. However, complimentary shuttle service to the park will be provided from Ski Beach on Vacation Island where visitors may park for free.

Athletes, families and friends of Aztec rowing will able to gather at the SDSU alumni tent.

For directions and complete schedule, log on to the official San Diego Crew Classic web page at www.crewclassic.org.