GOLD RIVER, Calif. – Facing off against NCAA Division I foes, the Puget Sound Loggers held their own in the final races of the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships on Sunday at Lake Natoma in Gold River, Calif.

The Loggers first race on Sunday was the petite final of the men’s 2V8 as the Loggers took third in a competitive race with a time of 6:50.1, finishing behind boats from UC Irvine and Santa Clara.

In the grand final of the women’s JV eight, the Loggers 2V8 took fifth with a time of 6:47.6.  Gonzaga won the race with a time of 6:34.6 while the Loggers finished ahead of the boats from San Diego State and Loyola Marymount.

The men’s V8+ also raced in the petite final, taking third with a time of 6:33.8, just 0.9 seconds behind Loyola Marymount and 3.4 seconds back from winner San Diego.  The Logger men held off the boat from Colorado by 0.4 seconds and defeated UC Irvine by nearly 15 seconds.

In the final event of the championship, the Logger women’s V8+ faced off against an otherwise entirely Division I field, taking sixth with a time of 7:28.5 in the race that saw all six boats separated by just 32 seconds.  Sacramento State won the gold medal with at time of 6:56.5, just barely holding off the boat from University of San Diego.

The Logger women, ranked fourth in the nation and first in the NCAA Division III West Region, will wait a few weeks for their expected invitation to an eighth-straight NCAA Rowing Championships, which will be lead at Lake Natoma and hosted by Washington State University.