Head of the Snake Recap
01 Nov 2009
Varsity 8+ upsets Gonzaga at the Head of the Snake
WSU Crew successfully defended their home water Friday as they claimed victory in the premiere Varsity 8+ event. Although weather conditions were not ideal, the Cougars rowed strong and crossed the finish line 13 seconds ahead of the Zags over the 4,000 meter race course.
"This was probably the best Fall race performance our crew has had in recent years," said Commodore Mitch Williams. "We will be looking to build off of this performance in the weeks to come and hope to carry the success into our Spring racing season."
Solid performances were turned in by the JV8+ and 3V8+ as well, with the JV boat finishing 20 seconds behind a deep Gonzaga crew.
The Novice team continued to show their tremendous potential as the A boat finished just 17 seconds behind Gonzaga’s top Novice crew. Only 0.66 seconds separated the WSU C and B boats, with the C boat beating Gonzaga’s C boat by 13 seconds with a time of 16:40. Rounding out the flight was the WSU D and E boats, which finished with times of 18:31 and 19:06 respectively. The future is bright for this Novice class as they continue to develop and gel, looking towards exciting Spring racing.
The Women’s lightweight 8+ competed in the first women’s flight, finishing with a solid time of 19:30. In its inaugural season, the Women’s lightweight team currently has two full eights of rowers.
Cougar Crew hopes to continue this success as the Fall racing season comes to a close next weekend as the team travels to the West side for the Western Washington University Dual and the Head of the Lake Regatta. Three Varsity fours, along with the Novice and Women’s lightweight teams will represent the Cougs against WWU, while the V8+ and JV8+ will race on Sunday in the Head of the Lake.
