Senior Liz Pallas-Jacobs should have seen the signs all around
her.
If last year was not enough of a warning, then her teammates
screaming at her to strip off her warm-ups should have been.
Following Sunday’s Miller Cup, held in Marina
Del Rey, a short awards ceremony honoring the seniors led to a
surprised Pallas-Jacobs being thrown into the murky marina
water.
“It’s a congratulatory
thing we do at the end,†junior Brittany Merchant
said.
Not only does Pallas-Jacobs deserve recognition for being a
senior and co-captain, she is also unique to the program in that
she has been on the team for all four years of college. In fact,
Pallas-Jacobs was one of UCLA’s first-ever
women’s rowing recruits.
The 31st-annual event this weekend was the last home meet for
Pallas-Jacobs and two other seniors, Sarah Lombardo and Lora
Batina. At the meet, all four UCLA boats won their races, making it
the fourth-consecutive year the Bruins have captured the Miller
Cup.
“It was a nice way to finish my career at
home,†Pallas-Jacobs said. “Our
varsity eight boat won by six seconds and we were very
happy.â€
As a rower on the second varsity eight boat, Merchant said her
boat had really good rhythm and stroke ratio when they faced
competitor Loyola Marymount in the preliminary heat. Although
Merchant’s boat did win the heat, the Lions
created a close race. In the second varsity
eight’s final heat, San Diego State held steady
with the Bruins until the 1000-meter mark when UCLA finally pulled
ahead to win.
Another close race came when the novice eight boat competed
against UC Santa Barbara and won by only a couple of seconds.
Now the No. 15 Bruins are undefeated in dual-meet competition as
they head into Saturday’s race against No. 3 USC
at the Trojan’s home course in San Pedro. After
losing the varsity eight boat race last year, the Bruins have
vengeance on their minds. The crosstown rivalry race will determine
points for the ongoing Lexus Gauntlet competition between the two
schools.
“It’s an important race for
the team and we’re hoping to have a strong
showing. I know we’re going to do our
best,†Pallas-Jacobs said.
Merchant is confident that the team will perform well and that
everyone will step up in their races under the pressure.
“I’m slightly nervous, but
I think USC is beatable,†Merchant said.