SEATTLE, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's rowing program competed in one of the most prestigious collegiate rowing regattas on Saturday, with three crews racing in the 33^rdWindermere Cup.

 

Racing from Lake Washington and through the Montlake Cut, the Vikings finished 4^th in each of their races matching up against top collegiate competition at the Division I, II and III levels. The annual spring rowing event is held in conjunction with the Seattle Yacht Club's Opening Day parade, which marks the beginning of boating season in the Northwest.

 

The Varsity 8+ raced in the Erickson Cascade Cup, finishing in 4^th place covering the 2,000-meter course in 6:53.053. The University of Washington third varsity eight entry won the four-boat race in 6:39.835, followed by the UCLA second varsity eight (6:43.775) and Seattle Pacific (6:50.161). WWU charged hard over the final 500 meters looking to catch SPU, but couldn't make up enough ground against its Division II competitors. 

 

WWU's Varsity 4+ opened the racing schedule for the Vikings at the Windermere Cup, matching up against a pair of entries from top-ranked UW and UCLA. Western placed 4^th finishing in 7:50.231, with the Huskies B entry winning in 7:08.121.

 

The Vikings second varsity eight raced against UW's novice squad, the UCLA 3V8+ and the Puget Sound varsity eight. WWU finished 4^th in 7:18.048.

 

Ranked No. 4 in the NCAA Division II Coaches Poll, Western completes the 2019 regular season next weekend racing against the Stanford Lightweights and top-ranked Central Oklahoma in Redwood City, California. 

 

Here is a look at the final results from the three races that WWU competed in on Saturday at the Windermere Cup:

 

 

The Windermere Cup rowing regatta got its start 33 years ago when Windermere Real Estate founder, John Jacobi, joined up with the University of Washington to create the annual rowing event. They wanted to bring the best team in the world to Seattle's Montlake Cut, which at the time was the Soviet Union. After that, the precedent was set for what has become one of the world's premier rowing events, and certainly a staple of Seattle's rowing community. For the 2019 Windermere Cup, men's and women's crews from Germany traveled to Seattle to face Washington, as well as the Boston University men and the UCLA women. For more information please visit WindermereCup.com.

 

Here is a look at boat lineups for the three Vikings crews that raced Saturday in the Windermere Cup:

                                                                                                    

 

Following the Windermere Cup in Seattle, the Vikings have one more regular-season regatta racing against the Stanford Lightweights and top-ranked Central Oklahoma on Saturday, May 11 in Redwood City, California. The selections for the 2019 NCAA Division II Rowing Championships will be announced via an internet selection show at 2 pm PT/5 pm ET on NCAA.com.

 

More information on the 2019 WWU Rowing season, including a details schedule, roster and quick facts can be found online at WWUVikings.com/RowViks and via social media on Twitter (@WWU_Rowing), Instagram (@wwuwomensrowing) and Facebook (@WWURowing).

 

WWU Rowing is one of the elite collegiate rowing programs in the country, having won 8 NCAA Division II National Championships. The Vikings won the 2017 NCAA II title and placed 2nd in 2018, and have competed in the NCAA Championships in 17 of the last 18 seasons. WWU has taken home the gold (8 times) or silver (4 times) medal 12 times in the 17 years the NCAA Division II team title has been awarded. Western won 7 consecutive DII 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.