Jump to Conference USA good for Sac State rowing

Garrett Riendeau

For the first time in school history, the Sacramento State team has a shot at a qualifying bid to the NCAA Championships.

Since the program began in 1995, the team has been part of the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA), a conference unnoticed by the NCAA.

This past fall, the squad joined an NCAA-recognized conference – Conference USA. If the team is able to win their conference, they will find themselves heading to Indianapolis for a shot at a national championship.

Head coach Mike Connors has been with Sac State for 12 years and believes joining Conference USA is a great opportunity for his team.

“We have been trying to join a conference for years,” Connors said . “It’s nice to have something at the end of the season to really shoot for.” “For them (the team), it makes every race kind of a building block and it keeps them focused on that goal.”

Senior co-captain Jessica Smith has been on the team for four years and this will be her first and last chance to qualify for a national title.

“Since it’s my last year, but my first year in a conference, it is really important to me,” Smith said. “I know the team is really looking forward to it because (the team) has always been segregated to the bigger schools, so it’s really nice that we are all getting an opportunity to compete for an NCAA championship.”

The team’s chance to compete for an automatic qualifier may be coming at an ideal time. Connors feels he has a much improved and deeper squad as compared to last year’s team.

“I think we’re improved over last year and we are definitely deeper at the varsity level,” Connors said. “We’re more experienced and we have a great junior and senior class.”

Another factor that is going to help the squad is the chemistry this team has built with one another. Senior Kloey Glass said this group of girls is significantly closer compared to previous years.

“The chemistry on this year’s team is a lot better and every girl out here is really competitive,” Glass Said. “Last year we had a lot of drama on the team, but this year everybody is really close and after the same thing.”

Smith also noted that the squad has strong team chemistry.

“We’re a lot more united and more of a team,” Smith said. “Everyone is working for a common goal.”

Joining Conference USA provides new and familiar foes for Sac State. The conference will include Sac State, Alabama, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Old Dominion, San Diego State, Tennessee, Texas, Tulsa and West Virginia.

“This is a conference, it’s very good,” Connors said. “Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas are all teams ranked in the top 20.” “But those are teams that we have raced and we’ve had some success against.”

Sac State will begin its season on March 15 at Lake Natoma where they will host the Sacramento State Invitational. The teams that will be competing are Sac State, Humboldt State, UC San Diego, Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s and Mills College.