Sinking one boat and delaying competition for nearly six hours, Mother Nature turned the typically calm waters of Mission Bay, San Diego into a choppy sea of big swells and raging currents.

All this during the nationally renowned Jessup Whittier Invitational , April 7 and 8.

The Sac State women?s varsity eight rowing team was selected to compete in the upper level regattas this season in the San Diego Crew Classic because they won the lower level California Cup last year. However, the Hornets proved no match for the unusual Spring Break weather and placed thirteenth out of fourteen colleges, 10 of which were ranked in the top 30 in the country, according to the National Poll dated April 11.

“The wind and rain created problems for us early on,” Sac State head coach Bill Zack said. “The combination of a strong current opposite a strong tailwind made it extremely difficult to do well.”

The Hornets were in third place through 250 meters of their qualifying race Saturday, until one of the rowers was knocked off her seat because of a whitecap which almost slowed the boat to a stop. This occurred again later in the same race, when someone?s row stuck in a wave because they failed to lift their ore after they pulled, known as catching-a-crab.

“Our momentum and pace was destroyed at that point,” Sac State assistant coach Laura Macfarlane said.

The Hornets finished last in their qualifying heat and didn?t advance to the grand final, which involved the top seven rowing teams. Following their race, competition ceased at 9:50 a.m. and didn?t continue until 4:00 p.m. due to conditions becoming too rough and dangerous.

On Sunday, Sac State raced in the petite final, or consolation match involving the eight through fourteen seeds. The Hornets were forced to deal with a crosswind against the current in this regatta and placed sixth with a time of 7:24.

“I am happy with the way we showed adversity and focus in Sunday?s performance,” Zack said. “We beat Villanova and finished just behind Stanford and Oregon State, two prominent programs.”

The University of Southern California had trouble with the weather when its boat capsized because of rain and waves Sunday. However, USC placed first overall in the grand final, followed by Washington University, Virginia and Cal Berkeley. Washington State, Stanford, San Diego State and Oregon State were among the top four finishers in the petite final.

“We will never become a great team unless we race against great teams. It will only get harder from this point forward,” Macfarlane said.

The Hornets remain 3-0 in league play and 3-1 for the season, electing not to count these races on their record. They practiced two times a day over Spring Break and face two of the top 20 teams in the nation in Texas and Washington State at the Stanford Invitational on Saturday and Sunday.

“We are in the process of preparing for league championships,” Zack said. “Our goal is to train hard and gain national respect for this program.”