Women’s rowing claims the championship in overseas event

The Americans are coming! The Americans are coming!

This was the tune the British were singing as the Sacramento State women’s rowing team took home the championship trophy at the Henley Women’s Regatta in Henley, England.

Henley, on the Thames River, played host to the annual event on June 12. This event was the first of its kind for the Hornets, who have never been overseas for competition.

"We didn’t know what to expect," team coxswain Becky Devcic said. "We just wanted to have a good showing."

Head coach Bill Zack felt his squad had a chance to show the British teams what they were made of.

"This is the fastest varsity-eight (team) since we’ve started our program here," Zack said.

The Hornet women competed in six grueling rounds of single-elimination competition, which added to the excitement of the event.

A real scare occurred in the second round when the steering cable broke during the team’s race against Christ Church College of Oxford, England.

"Luckily, we were fast enough to overcome this problem and win the race," Zack said.

The team faced fierce competition in the third round, where the Hornets faced Imperial College of London. Going into the race, Imperial was the British University champions and the odds on favorites.

"We were definitely the underdogs in that race," Zack said.

Apparently, the glass slipper fit for the Cinderella team who triumphed against powerhouse Imperial.

"It was a total surprise," Devcic said. "But the deeper we went in the tournament the more we got fired up,"

The team’s momentum continued throughout the quarterfinals and semifinals where they rolled over Trinity College and Emmanuel College.

In the final race, the team posted a time of 5:08, which was good enough to hold off Cambridge University for the overall championship.

The Hornets, ranked in the top 25 of the National Coaches Poll, entered the regatta having won the Western Conference Championships. Now they can add world champions to the list.

"This was a rewarding experience and we worked really hard." Devcic said. "I’m really proud of the team."