Saturday, May 14, 2022

LOWELL, Ore. – Western Washington held off a surging Seattle Pacific boat in the Varsity 8+ race Saturday to claim the team title in the second-ever GNAC Women’s Rowing Championships, held at Dexter Lake.

The Vikings, ranked second overall in the West in the most recent regional rankings, also had a third-place finish in the Varsity 4+ race to finish with 26 team points, one point better than Seattle Pacific and two more than Central Oklahoma, the defending GNAC and national champion. Cal Poly Humboldt (15 points) finished fourth in the four-team field.

The GNAC races were held in conjunction with the Pacific-12 Conference. The Pac-12 regatta takes place Sunday.

On a flat, calm Dexter Lake under partly sunny skies and negligible wind, Western Washington’s varsity 8+ entry crossed the finish line in 7:03.43, narrowly edging out Seattle Pacific, which clocked a time of 7:04.32. Central Oklahoma, the West’s top-ranked team entering the GNAC Championships, placed third in the race with a time of 7:06.00. All three teams were in contention to claim the team title depending on the outcome of the featured race.

Defending conference champion Central Oklahoma, the top-ranked team in the West entering the conference championships, opened the two-race event with a convincing victory in the varsity 4+. The Bronchos’ winning time of 7:54.95 was more than 11 seconds better than Seattle Pacific’s entry and nearly 17 seconds faster than WWU’s boat. Cal Poly Humboldt finished fourth in a time of 8:15.33.

An open 4+ non-scoring exhibition GNAC race was dominated by Central Oklahoma, which won with a time of 8:08.39. SPU finished second in 8:20.08 and was followed by Cal Poly Humboldt (8:22.94) and Western Washington (8:28.31).

The field for the 2022 NCAA Championships will be announced on Monday at 2 p.m. (Pacific) on ncaa.com. The six-team field will be comprised of the top-ranked team in the West, South and East regions along with three at-large teams.

GNAC WOMEN’S ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS
May 14, 2022 at Dexter Lake (Lowell, Oregon)
Team Scores: Western Washington 26, Seattle Pacific, 25, Central Oklahoma 24, Cal Poly Humboldt 15.

Race Results
Open 4+ (exhibition): 1, Central Oklahoma, 8:08.39; 2, Seattle Pacific, 8:20.08; 3, Cal Poly Humboldt, 8:22.94; 4, Western Washington, 8:28.31.
Varsity 4+: 1, Central Oklahoma, 7:54.95; 2, Seattle Pacific, 8:05.96; 3, Western Washington, 8:11.23; 4, Cal Poly Humboldt, 8:15.33.
Varsity 8+:  1, Western Washington, 7:03.43; 2, Seattle Pacific, 7:04.32; 3, Central Oklahoma, 7:06.00; 4, Cal Poly Humboldt, 7:18.44.

Boat Lineups
Cal Poly Humboldt
Open 4+ (exhibition): Sonja Scollon (coxswain), Autumn Pecarovich, Amelia Marks, Margie Johnson, Amanda Roosman.
Varsity 4+: Kylie Speth (coxswain), Sarah Lorenzini, Megan Franco, Marie-Claire Desplancke, Chloe Pieper-Wasem.
Varsity 8+: Emily Daniels (coxswain), Kealey Scott, Cassidy Hollenbeck, Dana Foley, Katie Schwan, Emily Marsolais, Malia Seeley, Asher Kolden, Kierstyn Hughes.

Central Oklahoma
Open 4+ (exhibition): Emily Overholt (coxswain), Anya Landrowski, Ashley Brady, Audra Hempfling, Kylie Eagan.
Varsity 4+: Yesenia Gil Salazar, Morgan McBurnett, Danielle Holle, Sinead Quirke, Cameron Pence.
Varsity 8+: Madisyn Kitchell (coxswain), Keyna Holleman, Kelsey Woellmer, Kenna Chamlee, Faith Brooks, Hope Brooks, Allison Staley, Sage Kroeker, Danielle Dick.

Seattle Pacific
Open 4+ (exhibition): Jessica Vester (coxswain), Megan Rouse, Addie Clark, Ingrid Erickson, Sophie Sandahl.
Varsity 4+: Moxie McCandless (coxswain), Megan Popielak, Avalon Tarbet-Mendoza, Kristin Grassell, Audrey Rekedal.
Varsity 8+: LeeAnn Arrington (coxswain), Jennifer Hoag, Macie Leach, Jacinta Grandel, Natalie Korolenko, Elise Arkills, Kalais Samuelson, Danielle Johnson, Hannah Miller.

Western Washington
Open 4+ (exhibition): Claudia Webster (coxswain), Lily Bjork, Phoebe Hafertepen, Ella Brinkman, Maddie Kidd.
Varsity 4+: Kiana Doyle (coxswain), Emma Clark, Paige Donner, Reed Chesnick, Kristina De Koster.
Varsity 8+: Adele Houston (coxswain), Haley Moss, Lindsey Froelich, Morgan McIntyre, Clarice Ruhlin-Hicks, Maddie Bangasser, Yuki Saburi, Olivia Pells, Sarah Ernst.