If you are interested in joining or learning more about the team please feel free to contact our Head Coach Kim Dale ssu.coachkim@gmail.com

Sonoma Men’s Crew Records Best Season in Team History

(Philadelphia, PA) - “Insane. Period,” Those were the words used by Sonoma State oarsman Bryan Rengel as he described crossing the finish line in the Novice Men’s Four with Coxswain event in third place at the Dad Vail Regatta, held annually every year in Philadelphia. The young Sonoma crew finished ahead of over 50 other universities at the largest collegiate regatta in the country, and capped an unbelievably successful season for the team. After the varsity lightweights earned the team’s first ever win in a Dad Vail heat, the novice men pulled off a win in the semi finals to qualify for the grand final. There, they finished less than two seconds behind the winner and ahead of Colgate, who had beaten them in the heats the previous day, to win the first Dad Vail medal in the history of the rowing team. Just the weekend before, Sonoma State claimed three medals at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association conference championship, with a bronze in the Men’s Novice Four, silver in the Men’s Lightweight Varsity Eight, and a gold medal and conference championship in the Men’s Novice Lightweight Four for their first championship in the team’s history. The team was able to qualify for the grad final in every race it entered at the regatta and varsity oarsman Michael Vuksich earned second team all-conference honors. Sonoma State also returned for one more race, the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships, the weekend after returning from Philadelphia. There, the team finished first in the Novice Lightweight Four, first in the Second Novice Eight, third in the Novice Open Four, and third in the Varsity Novice Four. The medal haul capped off the most successful season the Sonoma State men have ever had. Next year, Sonoma State returns as a hungry, almost all-sophomore, varsity squad that’s looking for three more years of winning. “More gold medals. More tanks. That’s all we want,” says bowman Jason Villeggiante, with a look of fiery passion in his eyes. For more information about the team, or to learn how you can get involved, donate, or join, contact recruiter Marco Brunamonti at brunamom@sonoma.edu, Men’s Coach Khoua Moua at khoua_moua@yahoo.com, or Women's Coach Jessica Chitwood.

SSU Men Haul in Medals at Western Rowing Championships

(Rancho Cordova, CA) - After one of the most difficult and bizarre seasons that a team from any sport might experience, the Sonoma State Men’s rowing team turned in their best ever championship performance in the team’s short five year history. In the middle of the fall, the team lost its head coach and, along with him, many team members. As a student-run and student-funded team, they were short on funds, without a coach, and desperate to regain control of their season. At the time, it seemed that there was a very good chance the team would actually fold. However, five upperclassmen decided to continue, the freshman team stayed on, and the interim head coaching job eventually fell to former Sonoma State coxswain Khoua Moua, who was coaching the freshman team at the time. Under the leadership of Moua and the upperclassmen, the team was able to enter five boats in the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) championships and turn in their best-ever championship performance. On the first day of the two-day championship regatta, Sonoma State qualified for four grand finals races on Sunday, and captured its first ever men’s conference championship medal, a silver in the Varsity Lightweight 8, losing only to top-seeded California and beating UC Davis and Washington State in the final. On Sunday, the results were even more surprising. The Novice (freshman) Heavyweight 8+ finished in sixth place, higher than any other club team in the event. The Varsity Lightweight 4+ finished in fourth, just one place back from a medal. In the Novice (freshman) Heavyweight 4+, Sonoma State captured a bronze, the second conference medal in the history of the program. That same day, Sonoma’s Novice (freshman) Lightweight 4+ found themselves down to California and Washington State halfway through the grand final race. At that point in the race, coxswain Molly McGarvey called for one desperation attempt to move into first place - what the team calls a “Rocky.” The “Rocky” is what is known in rowing as a “mid-start,” a risky sequence of quick, choppy strokes intended to give one massive burst of speed. The “Rocky” that was used by the Sonoma boat was three ¾ length strokes, followed by ten full strokes with as much power as each oarsman could muster. The “Rocky” move catapulted the boat through both Washington State and California, and gave the Novice Lightweight 4+ the first WIRA gold medal in the history of the program. Asked later about the move, bowman Jason Villeggiante commented that “We were down the whole race up to that point. I thought we were in trouble. But then Molly called the ‘Rocky’ and we moved up every single stroke in the race from that point on. It was a great race and a great day for the program.” At the medal ceremony, Sonoma celebrated its best-ever WIRA performance of three medals and varsity oarsman Michael Vuksich received second team all-WIRA honors. For more information about the team, or to learn how you can get involved, donate, or join, contact Coach Khoua Moua at khoua_moua@yahoo.com.

In Petite Final, Sonoma Men Claim Huge Finish

(San Diego, CA) - Lining up her men’s novice eight at the start line was of little difficulty for coxswain Molly McGarvey on the first day of the San Diego Crew Classic, the first nationally attended regatta of the season, and the largest on the West Coast. But for the others in the boat, a loose tension coursed through their bodies as each sat poised at the catch prepared to explode through their start. Although lined up in their heat against last year’s national nos. 1 and 2, Stanford and Washington, respectively, and conference no. 1, Orange Coast, the Sonoma men were able to pace perennial conference powerhouses UC Davis, Colorado, and Washington State through the first half of the race and crush the field in the second half to qualify for the petite (2nd) final. That race saw them matched against a diverse and talented field, including no. 1 Orange Coast, UCLA, UCSD, Notre Dame, and their rivals at Santa Clara. Their efforts put them just a quarter of a second behind Notre Dame to finish in 10th place overall. The final finish order was Washington, California, Stanford, Oregon State, Penn, San Diego, Orange Coast, UCSD, Notre Dame, Sonoma, Santa Clara, UCLA, Colorado, UC Davis, UC Irvine, Washington State, St. Mary’s. Loyola, Pacific, Cal Maritime Academy, and San Diego State. The results of the Crew Classic should land Sonoma State a top five seed at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association conference championships in May. This is the first time since 2005 that a Sonoma State men’s crew has gone into the WIRA Championships with such high expectations. What makes this even more remarkable is that Sonoma’s crew continues to operate as a relatively new club crew, competing with longer-established, well-funded, and better-supported crews. Sonoma’s novice team has only one oarsman with any rowing experience prior to this season, and is made up purely of walk-ons. Also, the novice lightweight four challenged the varsity lightweight four to football and lost 7-2. They had a good day though. If you are interested in finding out how you can support Sonoma State Crew or how you can become a part of Sonoma’s newest winning tradition, contact Director of Rowing Mike Villeggiante at villeggm@sonoma.edu or visit www.sonoma.edu/clubs/crew.

Sonoma Rowing Adds “The Winnona” to Fleet

(Petaluma, CA) - At the end of the first semester of the 2007-2008 academic year, the Sonoma State rowing team packed up for a short winter break and a long training camp after completing a very successful first semester.  The novice men and women won and placed in multiple regattas, including a recent victory by the novice men against rival Sacramento State, and the varsity crews frequently placed as well.  The fall results suggest the possibility of a large medal haul during the spring championship season.
            Shortly after arriving for their winter training in early January, Sonoma will receive the newest addition to their fleet.  The Winnona is a columbia blue, four-man, midweight shell, built by Resolute Racing Shells.  Donated by Dia and Michael Rianda, it will be christened upon its arrival at the team’s Petaluma boatyard and will see action in the team’s first race, the Davis Invitational Rowing Tournament at the Port of Sacramento.
            New racing shells are an expensive investment for any rowing team, and represent an important step in the growth of the young Sonoma crew, which was founded in 2003.  The Winnona is the first brand new shell acquired in the team’s short history, and will replace the team’s 2001 four-man shell as its top racing four. 
            For information about the rowing club, or to inquire about joining the team, or donation or sponsorship opportunities, contact Media Coordinator Whitney Lindsay at lindsayw@sonoma.edu