GOLD RIVER, Calif. – The Washington State University second varsity eight crew came from behind to place third in its A/B Semifinal Saturday, to advance to Sunday’s Grand Final at the 2015 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships held at Lake Natoma at Gold River, Calif.
The Cougars raced in sunny conditions with a slight headwind, windier than Friday’s racing, as WSU’s varsity eight and varsity four advanced to their respective Petite Finals. The second varsity eight crew can place between first and sixth in the Grand Final, while the varsity four and varsity eight can finish between seventh and 12th in the Petite Final.
“I’m super proud of every member of our team today,” head coach Jane LaRiviere said. “In all three races, the crews stiffened their shoulders and faced up the competition and rowed to the best of their ability. I just think that they came together and fought hard. In the second varsity eight race, the last three spots were decided in less than a second, and I was impressed that we were able to advance. It takes a lot of heart to come out on top in such a close boat race. The varsity eight had a really good battle and the four made up some time on UW, so I think there were only performances to be proud of today. It’s not over yet, though, I think there’s still a lot of noise to be made and places to be earned.”
In one of the most exciting races of the day, Washington State’s second varsity eight (coxswain – Jenna Mangiagli, stroke – Noel Christiansen, Kellen Srb, Kayla Wakulich, Carter Marks, Jessi Howe, Sarah Steger, Emily Morrow and bow – Isabella Watt) raced out of lane one against Brown, Yale, Stanford, Virginia and Indiana. The Cougars held third early, but dropped to fourth by the 1,500-meter mark, as Brown led with Yale and Stanford in second and third. WSU used a strong sprint in the final 500 meters as the Bulldogs, Cougars and Cardinal finished within nearly two-tenths of a second from each other. Brown won the race at 6:32.344, followed by Yale in second at 6:36.730, WSU in third at 6:36.842 and Stanford in fourth at 6:36.987. Brown, Yale and WSU will move onto the Grand Final Sunday. They will be joined by Ohio State, Washington and California in the race for first-sixth place.
In another close race, the final race of the day for WSU, the varsity four (coxswain – Rebecca Burns, stroke – Tori Gerken, Katrina Tarrant, Megan McDonald, bow – Lucie Weissova) raced out of lane four in the second A/B Semifinal against Brown, Virginia, Washington, Stanford and Texas. The Cougars opened up the race in third, but dropped to fourth at the 500-meter mark. After trailing Washington by as much as two seconds, WSU surged at the end, but couldn’t catch the Huskies, finishing fourth with a time of 7:27.334, as UW clocked a time of 7:26.777. Virginia won the heat with a time of 7:21.652, followed by Brown at 7:24.459. The Cougars will compete in the Petite Final Sunday for places seventh-12th. They will face Stanford, Texas, California, Michigan and Notre Dame.
The Cougars’ varsity eight (coxswain – Sarah Wu, Ieva Adomaviciute, Mihaela-Teodora Berindei, Nicole Hare, Morgan Cathrea, Jordan Watson, Kim Coon, Savannah Davison, bow – Mickey Aylard) battled in the first heat of the A/B Semifinal, racing out of lane five. WSU went up against California, Virginia, Michigan, Texas and Indiana with the top three advancing to the Grand Final and the other three advancing to the Petite Final for places seventh-12th. California and Virginia jumped out to early leads, as it was a battle for third place and the final spot in the Grand Final. Texas passed Michigan in the final 500 to take third with a time of 6:34.356. California won the heat with a time of 6:27.366, followed by Virginia in second at 6:29.464. The Cougars clocked a time of 6:41.679, finishing two seconds ahead of Indiana. WSU will compete against Michigan, Indiana, Brown, Princeton and Harvard in the Petite Final Sunday at 11 a.m.
Live results and streaming all weekend can be found at: www.NCAA.com.
2015 NCAA ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Lake Natoma – Gold River, Calif.
May 29-31, 2015
Saturday, May 30 – Day Two
Division I Eights
A/B Semifinal One
1. California, 6:27.366
2. Virginia, 6:29.464
3. Texas, 6:34.356
4. Michigan, 6:37.173
5. Washington State, 6:41.679
6. Indiana, 6:43.762
WSU Lineup
Coxswain – Sarah Wu
Stroke – Ieva Adomaviciute
7 – Mihaela-Teodora Berindei
6 – Nicole Hare
5 – Morgan Cathrea
4 – Jordan Watson
3 – Kim Coon
2 – Savannah Davison
Bow – Mickey Aylard
Division I Second Eights
A/B Semifinal Two
1. Brown, 6:32.344
2. Yale, 6:36.730
3. Washington State, 6:36.842
4. Stanford, 6:36.987
5. Virginia, 6:45.922
6. Indiana, 6:49.964
WSU Lineup
Coxswain – Jenna Mangiagli
Stroke – Noel Christiansen
7 – Kellen Srb
6 – Kayla Wakulich
5 – Carter Marks
4 – Jessi Howe
3 – Sarah Steger
2 – Emily Morrow
Bow – Isabella Watt
Division I Fours
A/B Semifinal Two
1. Virginia, 7:21.652
2. Brown, 7:24.459
3. Washington, 7:26.777
4. Washington State, 7:27.334
5. Stanford, 7:37.184
6. Texas, 7:38.642
WSU Lineup
Coxswain – Rebecca Burns
Stroke – Tori Gerken
3 – Katrina Tarrant
2 – Megan McDonald
Bow – Lucie Weissova
