State Colleges Report : Western rower gets redemption on her 2nd try

BELLINGHAM — Julia Gamache wasn't about to miss her chance for redemption.

The junior stroke on the No.1-ranked Western Washington's women's varsity eight was a part of history as the Vikings won their first NCAA Division II championship in any sport on Sunday on Lake Natoma near Sacramento, Calif.

For Gamache, it was the culmination of a year that has seen its share of highs and lows.

"It's taken winning a national championship to get over losing one," said Gamache, a graduate of Bishop Blanchet High School. "That's all I would have been able to do to get over last year."

Last year, the Vikings were in the lead just 600 meters away from a national championship when Gamache caught a crab — her oar stuck in the water on the recovery portion of her stroke.

Western finished third, and Gamache placed a lot of the blame on herself.

"It was the most traumatizing thing to ever happen to me," Gamache said. "Sports has always been my thing, so failing at it was devastating."

She was so overcome with guilt, she met with a sports psychologist in Seattle. Gamache eventually learned to overcome the guilt and to focus on not letting another championship opportunity slip away.

On Sunday, Western held on to win the 2,000-meter event in 6 minutes, 48.72 seconds, beating Nova Southeastern of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., by 1 ½ lengths.

"When we crossed the finish line this time, we were still crying," said Gamache. "But this time, it was different. It was great."

Gamache was named to the College Rowing Coaches Association NCAA Division II All-American team for the second straight year and will focus on repeating the success in her senior year.

"I feel 20 pounds lighter," she said. "I've been carrying that burden around all year and thinking I was being doubted. But it was our year, and we deserved it this year."

Seattle Pacific

Track and field: The 15th-place finish among men's teams at the NCAA Division II Championships was SPU's highest since 1973. Five of the Falcons' All-Americans, including decathlon champion Chris Randolph (Jr., Lone Tree, Colo.) and heptathlon runner-up Danielle Ayers-Stamper (Jr., Lacrosse-Washtucna), will return next year.

All sports: Seattle Pacific took the Great Northwest Athletic Conference all-sports women's title for the second straight year, finishing four points ahead of Central Washington, 96-92.

Seattle U.

Track and field: Senior Kelly Fullerton (Roseburg, Ore.), whose sixth place in the 3,000 steeplechase Saturday at the NCAA Division II Championships made her a repeat All-American, leaves Seattle U. with four individual school records and a share of the 1,600-relay mark.

Washington

Baseball: Junior shortstop Brent Lillibridge (Jackson of Mill Creek) and left-handed pitcher Tim Lincecum (Liberty of Issaquah) were Washington's selections on the All-Pac-10 team. Two others from the state, Arizona State outfielder Travis Buck (Richland) and Arizona catcher Nick Hundley (Lake Washington of Kirkland), also made the first team.

Men's golf: UW advanced to the NCAA Championships for the seventh straight year, the last four under coach Matt Thurmond , the Pac-10 Coach of the Year.

Men's rowing: The Huskies enter this weekend's IRA Championships in Cherry Hill, N.J., having won a national title in at least one event during each of the last four years. In 2004, UW won the junior-varsity eight and varsity four.

Track and field: Five Huskies were selected at-large to the NCAA Championships, giving Washington 16 competing in Sacramento, Calif., June 8-11. The total is the most UW has sent to the meet in more than a decade. Added yesterday were pole-vaulter Carly Dockendorf (Port Moody, B.C.), long-jumper J.R. Wolfork (Issaquah), high-jumper Norris Frederick (Roosevelt) and 1,500-meter runners Lindsey Egerdahl (Auburn) and Amy Lia (Bothell).

Washington State

Baseball: Junior Jeff Miller and sophomore Jay Miller (Newport of Bellevue) both made honorable mention on the All-Pac-10 team. They were joined by senior teammate Dane Renkert (Sehome of Bellingham).

Track and field: WSU had three second-place finishers in last weekend's West Regional in Eugene, Ore. — junior James McSwain (Las Vegas) in the men's 100 meters and junior Jenna Dean (Glenwood) in the women's javelin and sophomore John Cassleman (Pullman) in the men's 400 hurdles.

Western Washington

All sports: For the fourth straight year, Western Washington is the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Sports Champion. The Vikings took the overall title with its slimmest margin of the string, winning by just three points over Seattle Pacific, 161-158. WWU had a 76-64 advantage in taking its fourth consecutive men's title and was third in women's.

Other colleges

Central Washington: The Wildcats finished third in the 10-team GNAC all-sports standings with 146 points. Central finished third in the men's standings and second in the women's.

Eastern Washington: Shot-putter Ty Weingard (White River in Buckley) and volleyball player Keva Sonderen (Gonzaga Prep of Spokane) are EWU's recipients of the Big Sky Conference Scholar-Athlete Award. Sonderen was the Big Sky Conference Volleyball Player of the Year with a 3.36 grade-point average. Weingard, who overcame kidney failure and a resulting transplant while at EWU, is an exercise-science major with a 3.43 GPA.

Gonzaga: Men's crew has entries in the varsity four with coxswain and freshman four with coxswain at the IRA National Championships this week in Camden, N.J.

Pacific Lutheran: Senior catcher Mary Jo Marquardt (Emporia, Kan.) and junior first baseman Gretchen Ruecker (Hillsboro, Ore.) were recently named to the 2005 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III All-America second team.

Puget Sound: The women's rowing team was fourth at the NCAA Division III Championships last weekend, the Loggers' third consecutive top-four finish.

Saint Martins: Senior distance runner Nate Carlson (Pateros) capped his athletic career with the Saints by earning All-American honors with an eighth place in the 1,500 meters at the NCAA II Championships in Abilene, Texas, on Saturday. His time of 3 minutes, 50.18 seconds is the fastest in GNAC history.

Whitman: Tina Thompson Farley (Garfield) is one of four 2005 inductees into the Whitman College Athletics Hall of Fame. Farley, who now lives in Portland, helped the women's alpine ski team win a National Collegiate Ski Association championship in 1989. The 1991 Whitman graduate also earned NAIA All-American honors in soccer.

Community colleges: Bellevue CC freshman pitcher Bradley Clapp (Juanita of Kirkland) agreed to terms with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Clapp was drafted by the Pirates in the 19th round of last year's first-year player draft.

Elsewhere: Casey Huntsinger (Fife), a catcher at Valley City State in Valley City, N.D., was named conference and Region III Player of the Year. Huntsinger won the Dakota Athletic Conference 10 triple crown, hitting .363 with seven home runs and 31 RBI.

College sports-information directors

contributed to this notebook.