REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. – The Western Washington University rowing team went up against the top-ranked Stanford Lightweights Saturday morning on Redwood Lagoon.
Stanford, the three-time defending IRA national lightweight champions, clipped the Vikings in all three races with the regatta featuring one Varsity 8+ entry and two Varsity 4+ crews.
“I felt like the crew had a niece bounceback performance today and we showed good focus,” said head coach John Fuchs, in his 20th-season guiding the Vikings. “It was a great regatta to be part of and to see UW and Cal race before us. Stanford did a great job hosting.”
The Vikings return to action next weekend with the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Championships (WIRA) on Lake Natoma in Gold River, California, just outside of Sacramento.
THE RACE RESULTS
Here are race results from the dual regatta between WWU and Stanford Lightweights:
|
Race |
1st |
2nd |
|
Varsity 8+ |
Stanford (6:32.9) |
WWU (6:41.6) |
|
Varsity 4+ (A Race) |
Stanford (7:34.4) |
WWU (7:43.8) |
|
Varsity 4+ (B Race) |
Stanford (7:31.6) |
WWU (8:06.1) |
ROWING ROYALTY
The Stanford-WWU dual regatta was part of a packed schedule at Redwood Shores on Saturday that featured six elite collegiate rowing programs in action. WWU has won eight NCAA Division II National Championships, including the 2017 team title, and the Stanford Lightweights have won the last three IRA National Championships. Prior to the WWU-Stanford races, the University of Washington and University of California men’s and women’s crews raced head-to-head. The men’s regatta featured No. 1 Cal and No. 3 Washington and No. 1 UW and No. 2 Cal in the women’s races.
VIKINGS FLEET
Here is a look at WWU’s boat lineups vs. the Stanford Lightweights:
|
Varsity 8 |
|
Cox – Jonah Bettger (So./Brush Prairie, WA/Prairie) |
|
Stroke – Hannah Bivans (Jr./Claremont, CA/Claremont) |
|
7 – Claire Whiting (Sr./Maple Valley, WA/Tahoma) |
|
6 – Chloe Burns (Sr./Kirkland, WA/Lake Washington) |
|
5 – Jessica Smithlin (Fr./Orting, WA/Orting) |
|
4 – Ashley Yandt (Jr./Lake Tapps, WA/Bonney Lake) |
|
3 – Maddie Bangasser (Fr./Sammamish, WA/Eastlake) |
|
2 – Trisha Patterson (Sr./Camas, WA/Camas) |
|
Bow – Carly Lant (So./Bainbridge Island, WA/Bainbridge) |
|
Varsity 4 – A |
|
Cox – Corina Chon (So./Bellingham, WA/Sehome) |
|
Stroke – Angie Dexter (So./Anchorage, AK/West Anchorage) |
|
3 – Kasey Mallon-Andrews (Sr./Issaquah, WA/Issaquah) |
|
2 – Megan Reid (Sr./Sitka, AK/Sitka) |
|
Bow – Michaela Bonenberger (So./Fort Collins, CO/Fossil Ridge) |
|
Varsity 4 – B |
|
Cox – Adele Houston (So./Seattle, WA/Nathan Hale) |
|
Stroke – Maddie Merritt (Sr./Parker, CO/Ponderosa) |
|
3 – Kristen Thomas (Jr./Boulder, CO/Boulder) |
|
2 – Hannah Haupt (Jr./Sun Valley, ID/Wood River) |
|
Bow – Rachael Schick (Fr./Anchorage, AK/East Anchorage) |
NEXT UP
The Vikings shells will stay in Northern California as the team makes a return to the area next weekend for the annual Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships at Lake Natoma just outside of Sacramento. Last year Western won the gold medal at the WIRA Championships and was awarded the WIRA Team Efficiency Trophy (for all divisions) for the success of the number of races entered vs. placement in those races.
ABOUT WWU ROWING
WWU Rowing is one of the elite collegiate rowing programs in the country, having won 8 NCAA Division II National Championships. The Vikings are the defending national champions after winning the 2017 NCAA II title and have competed in the NCAA Championships in 16 of the last 17 seasons. Western won an unprecedented 7 consecutive national championships from 2005-2011, and placed among the top three nationally each season from 2002 to 2014 with the Varsity 4+ and Varsity 8+ reaching the grand finals every time during this stretch.
COACH FUCHS
Head coach John Fuchs is in his 20th year leading the program and has guided the Vikings to 10 seasons as the No. 1 team in the nation. Fuchs has been the head coach for all 8 of WWU’s national championship performances and has coached 26 CRCA All-Americans.
