GOLD RIVER, Calif. The Cougars’ varsity eight and varsity four crews each notched their best finishes since 2008 as Washington State University women’s rowing placed fifth at the Pacific-10 Conference Championships Sunday at cold, windy and rainy Lake Natoma near Sacramento, Calif.
The 14th-ranked Cougars finished fifth place with 24 points, just 1.5 points behind fourth-place, No. 7 Washington. For the fourth-consecutive season, No. 1 California took home the team title with 43.5 points in decisive fashion, finishing 9.5 points ahead of No. 3 Stanford with 34 points. Fourth-ranked USC finished third with 30.5 points, while No. 17 UCLA (sixth, 14.5 points) and Oregon State (seventh, 10 points) rounded out the scoring.
Washington State’s varsity eight, varsity four and novice eight each finished fourth in their respective races. The varsity eight entered the championships seeded fifth, placing one spot ahead of its seeding. The varsity four was seeded sixth, placing two spots ahead, while the novice eight and second varsity eight matched their seedings of fourth and fifth, respectively.
“The entire team stepped up today and had some great races,” WSU Head Coach Jane LaRiviere said.
A storm blew in right at the start of the varsity eight race, affecting times in the final event of the championships. WSU’s crew (coxswain- Lexi Ryman, Lisa Roman, Allie Reilly, Crystal Martin, Corinna Sharick, Christina Kinck, Hannah deVos, Sarah Wolff, Annie Eastwood) placed fourth for 12 points with a time of 7:16.4, just over a second ahead of Washington in fifth at 7:17.8. The Cougars finished five and a half seconds behind the Huskies in that event when the two teams met in a dual regatta April 9 and one second behind when the two faced off at the San Diego Crew Classic April 3. California took first in the race with a time of 7:02.1, followed by Stanford close behind at 7:02.6. USC was third with a time of 7:09.3.
The Cougars’ varsity four (Cayla Ravancho, Rachel McNeil, Liz Beck, Kasia Rademacher, Liana DeMaris) earned four points for its fourth-place finish. WSU finished with a time of 7:24.0, finishing just over a second ahead of fifth-place UCLA. California won the race with a time of 7:14.6, followed by Washington (second, 7:18.7) and USC (third, 7:19.2). WSU’s crew matched its finish from 2008, which marked its best performance since 2006 when the Cougars finished second in the race.
WSU’s novice eight boat (coxswain- Alex Biswas, Kerry Hassall, Gina Head, Ella Odland, Elise Jones, Chelsey Stotler, Hannah Jacobs, Ashlee Bonahoom, bow- Kendall Boliba) finished fourth, earning the team two points. The Cougars clocked a time of 7:03.9, as California won the race with a time of 6:52.0. Oregon State was second at 6:58.7, followed by Washington in third with a mark of 7:01.6. UCLA (fifth) finished just over three seconds behind WSU with a time of 7:07.2.
Women’s Team Scores
2. Stanford – 34
3. USC – 30.5
4. Washington – 25.5
5. Washington State – 24
6. UCLA – 14.5
7. Oregon State 10
Women’s Varsity Eight
2. Stanford 7:02.6
3. USC 7:09.3
4. Washington State 7:16.4
5. Washington 7:17.8
6. UCLA 7:31.6
7. Oregon State 7:58.8
Women’s Second Varsity Eight
2. California 6:32.4
3. USC 6:34.3
4. Washington 6:36.2
5. Washington State 6:38.3
6. UCLA 6:39.8
7. Oregon State 6:47.5
Women’s Varsity Four
2. Washington 7:18.7
3. USC 7:19.2
4. Washington State 7:24.0
5. UCLA 7:25.2
6. Oregon State 7:30.7
7. Stanford 7:33.4
Women’s Novice Eight
2. Oregon State 6:58.7
3. Washington 7:01.6
4. Washington State 7:03.9
5. UCLA 7:07.2
6. Stanford 7:14.1
7. USC 7:23.6