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PCRC/Pac-10 Championships

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Men’s Crew Battles Heat and Tough Crews in Sacramento

Amidst the scorching heat, the Cougars fought hard in the Pac-10/Pacific Coast Rowing Championships in Sacramento.

At Pac-10s, the Novice 8+ pulled a 6:03.9 to upset Oregon State, placing 4th in a deep field of eight crews. Stanford narrowly escaped the Cougar attack, taking 3rd place by just half a length over the Cougs.

Also in competition were the Varsity and 2nd Varsity 8+, facing off against an elite field including three of the top five crews in the nation. The Varsity 8+ finished 7th and the 2nd Varsity 8+ finished 5th in their respective races.

In Saturday’s Pacific Coast Rowing Championships, the small boats took to the course. The Cougs took gold in the Open Pair event. Paul Ehlers and Alan Scott cruised to an open water victory in a field of four.

The Novice 4+ had a strong showing, placing 2nd with twenty seconds of water ahead of third place.

The WIRA Champion Varsity 4+ faced off against strong Cal and Santa Clara boats, finishing 3rd.

In the Lightweight 4+ event, the Cougs held off UC Davis to bring home the silver medal.

The Lightweight 8+ raced in the Open 8+ event because no other lightweight crews were present to race. They held their own against larger crews, finishing 5th out of seven.

ACRA National Championships

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Redemption never tasted so sweet for the Novice 8+, as they took 2nd in the nation at the American Collegiate Rowing Association National Championships on Sunday. ACRA is in its second year as the national championship for club rowing teams.

After their impressive 4th place finish at the Pac-10 Championships, the Novice 8+ was seeded #2 coming into the weekend. They successfully defended that ranking, finishing just 3 seconds behind Michigan, a team with Varsity-Club status. Finishing the season as the second fastest club team in the country is a true testament to the hard work and determination of these rowers who began the year as true novice walk-ons.

Coming off of a convincing win in the Saturday repechage, the Cougs were focused and ready for the Grand Finals. The deep field of crews included Michigan, New Hampshire, Notre Dame, Bucknell, and Minnesota.

After a close first 1000 meters, they moved on the other crews, separating themselves from New Hampshire and Notre Dame. "We came out and rowed our race and rowed it really well," said James Dorsey. "It was a really good way to end the season. A solid performance and we couldn't have asked for more."

The Varsity Lightweight 4+ finished 5th in their Grand Final, just 0.7 seconds off of Northwestern and 3.7 seconds off of third place Purdue. The 4+ posted its fastest time of the year and finished on a high note for departing senior Garrett Lyman. "I would say it was our best race of the year," said Garrett. "Even though we lost the race, we gave it our all."

Head of the Snake Recap

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

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.