This weekend’s dual meet against San Diego State will not only be a litmus test for UCLA women’s rowing, but will also lay the groundwork for the remainder of the season.
“In terms of building the kind of culture we want in the team, we are pretty far ahead of where we have been in the past,” said coach Amy Fuller Kearney.
After spending the last couple of months training, the rowing team starts its season Saturday morning.
“We’re looking forward to putting in all our hard work and we are happy that racing season is here,” Fuller Kearney said.
For Saturday’s meet, UCLA is planning on racing with three varsity eights and one varsity four in order for more women on the team to have the ability to compete early in the 2016 season.
Last season, the Bruins finished the year one spot outside the top 20 teams nationwide, but fell just short of being one of the 22 schools that made it to the NCAA championships in Gold River, California.
“Last year things didn’t click as well,” said sophomore rower Sierra Bronkhorst. “This year we are closer as a team, and our focus is on being as good as we can be as a team. If we focus on working together, then we believe success will be inevitable.”
As for the Aztecs, their 2015 season ended at the American Athletic Conference championships on Mercer Lake in New Jersey, where the team finished sixth overall. Two women were also named to the All-Conference team.
“The goal is always the same: to go out and string together the best possible strokes we can over the racecourse,” Fuller Kearney said.
UCLA’s team is a young one, with 30 freshmen out of the 50 women on the roster, but this only creates more excitement for the potential they have to grow as a unit.
“This is a very young, talented and exciting team,” Fuller Kearney said. “It’s really fun to work with them, and the attitude and the team dynamic is really great,” said Fuller Kearney. “They are excited about the future of Bruin rowing and creating something that lasts a long time.”
Email Zollman at szollman@media.ucla.edu or tweet her @zollmansophie.