LAKEWOOD, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's rowing team jumped into the competition schedule on Saturday racing at the PLU Invite on American Lake.
After a tough January and February limited the Vikings training on Lake Samish, the season-opening regatta served as a good preseason test for the No. 3-ranked program in NCAA Division II.
WWU raced against Seattle Pacific University and the University of Puget Sound in the first session, sending an eight and a pair of four-oared boats on American Lake. SPU finished first in all three of the morning races.
Later in the morning the Vikings Varsity 8+ covered the 2,000m course in an impressive time of 6:54.6 to record open-water wins over Seattle U. and regatta host Pacific Lutheran University.
"The team had a fun day. There was a lot of solid rowing out there," said WWU head coach John Fuchs. "They handled the early morning trip and their race routines well too. This is what March racing is all about – preparation for April and learning what we we're doing well and where we need more focus."
The Vikings return to competition next weekend racing in the Falcon Regatta on Saturday, March 14. WWU will match-up against top-ranked Central Oklahoma and SPU in a four-race card that is set to start at 8:30 am on the Lake Washington Ship Canal. The starting line is near Gas Works Park in Lake Union and the finish line is behind Brougham Pavilion on the north side of the SPU campus.
Here is a look at the results for WWU's entries in Saturday's PLU Invitational:
|
Event
|
1st
|
2nd
|
3rd
|
|
V8+
|
SPU (6:54.6)
|
UPS (7:01.7)
|
WWU (7:05.6)
|
|
V4+
|
SPU (7:39.5)
|
WWU (8:12.6)
|
UPS (8:54.9)
|
|
4+
|
SPU (8:09.3)
|
WWU (8:36.2)
|
UPS (8:59.1)
|
|
V8+
|
WWU (6:54.6)
|
SU (7:03.6)
|
PLU (7:16.2)
|
|
2V8+
|
SU (7:33.9)
|
WWU (7:46.3)
|
PLU (8:25.7)
|
Here is a look at the boat lineups for the Vikings in the PLU Invite:
The Vikings continue their early-season competition schedule next week racing against Seattle Pacific and defending national champion Central Oklahoma on Saturday, March 14 at the Falcon Regatta on the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Seattle.
More information on the 202 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).
Led by 22nd-year head coach John Fuchs, WWU Rowing has become one of the elite collegiate rowing programs in the country, having won eight NCAA Division II National Championships. The Vikings won the 2017 NCAA II title, placed 2nd in 2018 and 3rd in 2019. WWU has competed in the NCAA Championships in 18 of the last 19 seasons, taking home the gold (8 times) or silver (4 times) medal 12 times in the 18 years the NCAA Division II team title has been awarded. Western won seven consecutive DII national championships from 2005-2011. In 17 trips to the NCAA Rowing Championships dating back to 2002, WWU has had its Varsity 4+ and Varsity 8+ reach the grand finals every time.
