Thursday, February 29, 2024
by Evan O'Kelly, Assistant Commissioner For Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – Reigning NCAA Division II national champion Cal Poly Humboldt was unanimously selected as the favorite in the 2024 GNAC Women’s Rowing preseason coaches poll announced on Thursday.

The Lumberjacks, who won both the varsity 4+ and varsity 8+ grand finals last May at the national championships, received all four first-place votes for the maximum of 16 points in the preseason poll. Reigning GNAC champion Central Oklahoma finished second with 12 points, Seattle Pacific was tabbed third with eight points and Western Washington rounded out the field of four teams with four points.

Points awarded on a 4-3-2-1 basis

After Central Oklahoma edged Cal Poly Humboldt by a single point to claim the 2023 GNAC title, the Lumberjacks returned the favor at the national championship meet with 30 total points to edge UCO by five points. CPU claimed the Varsity 4+ grand final with a time of 8:08.762 and the Varsity 8+ grand final with a time of 7:15.143.

Lumberjack coxswains Sonja Scollon (Varsity 8+) and Emily Daniels (Varsity 4+) return to the waters this spring to lead a re-loaded unit. In total, CPH returns half of its Varsity 8+ fleet and 3 of 4 to its Varsity 4+ fleet as it vies for a repeat national title performance. Dana Foley, the 2023 GNAC Rower of the Year, joins 2023 Coxswain of the Year Scollon as the lone all-conference returners to this season’s lineup. The Lumberjacks are led by reigning GNAC Coach of the Year Matt Weise, who begins his fourth season in charge.

Central Oklahoma will look to last year’s championship-winning performance at Dexter Lake as it seeks its third GNAC title in 2024. The Bronchos edged Cal Poly Humboldt by one point, 27-26, finishing first in the Varsity 4+ and second in the Varsity 8+.

The Bronchos return the most star power in the conference, including 2022-23 CRCA Athlete of the Year Faith Brooks. The senior earned the top honor in Division II after claiming first-team all-conference for the second straight season last spring. Fellow all-conference picks Lauren Clark, Raphaela Sanchez, Emily Overholt and Sydney Large all return to the boat in 2024. Among UCO’s 14 rowers who competed on last year’s Division II runner-up team, all but two return this season. Jennifer Gilbert begins her second season in charge of the Central Oklahoma program.

Seattle Pacific wound up third at last year’s NCAA Championships, totaling 18 points in the final race of the season. The Falcons placed third in the Varsity 8+ Grand Final with a time of 7:21.967, after a fourth-place finish in the Varsity 4+ Grand Final in 8:23.180.

SPU brings back four of its five members from the Varsity 4+ unit, including coxswain Lucy Sandahl and rowers Megan Popielak, Anna Boatman and Megan Rouse. The Falcons waved goodbye to senior Macie Leach, a two-time all-conference selection in her career. SPU will need to replace her, coxswain Moxie McCandless and three other rowers from last year’s Varsity 8+ unit. Caitlin McClain begins her fourth season as the head women’s rowing coach at SPU.

Western Washington held off Seattle Pacific by one point, 19-18, to finish third at last year’s conference meet, and followed with a fourth-place finish at the national championships with a total of 14 points. The Vikings finished first in the Varsity 8+ Petite Final with a time of 7:29.235, and placed third in the Varsity 4+ Grand Final with a time of 8:20.610 at last year’s Division II Championships.

The Vikings bring back the entirety of their Varsity 4+ lineup, including coxswain Janisa Cook and rowers Reed Chesnek, Maddie Kidd, Jenna Buckholt and Mia Knipe. WWU also returns Varsity 8+ coxswain Kylee Lovrich, but will need to replace half of the rowers who comprised the team at last year’s NCAA Championships including Newcomer of the Year Jenae Pusich and all-conference selections Lily Bjork and Clarice Ruhlin-Hicks. Reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year Taylor Wall is back on the Viking roster this spring. Veteran head coach John Fuchs, who led the Vikings to eight national championships, enters his 26th season leading the Vikings in the spring of 2024.

All four GNAC teams get their 2024 spring season started on March 9, with WWU and SPU competing in Lakewood, Wash., CPH competing at Gold River, Calif., and UCO also staying close to home in Oklahoma City. The 2024 GNAC Women’s Rowing Championships are on May 18 and will be held at Lake Natoma in Gold River, Calif.