LOWELL, Ore. – Led by a strong second-place finish by the Varsity Four, the Western Washington University rowing program placed third overall at the 2023 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Rowing Championships held Saturday on Dexter Lake.

 

The Vikings finished with 19 team points, led by the 10 points from the Varsity Four lineup that earned the silver medal in a tightly-contested race. WWU clocked a season-best time of 7:56.064 on the 2,000-meter course, edging out Cal Poly Humboldt (7:56.088) and Seattle Pacific (7:57.458) at the finish line. GNAC team champion Central Oklahoma won in 7:57.458.

 

WWU's Varsity Eight entry placed fourth in a time of 7:09.889, falling short of catching third-place Seattle Pacific (7:05.663) down the stretch. Cal Poly Humboldt won the gold medal in the eights in 7:01.991 with UCO placing second in 7:05.537.

 

Bolstered by the win in the fours and second-place finish in the eights, Central Oklahoma won its second GNAC team title recording 27 points, edging Cal Poly Humboldt by one point. WWU was third with 19 points, just ahead of fourth-place Seattle Pacific with 18 points. The Vikings were the defending conference champions entering the regatta.

 

SPU won the non-scoring exhibition four race, following by Cal Poly Humboldt, Central Oklahoma and WWU.

 

All four teams in the GNAC entered the postseason ranked in the top six nationally, which will strengthen each program's resume when the six-team NCAA Division II Championships field is announced Tuesday (May 16) at 2:30 pm PT on NCAA.com.

 

Western is led by 25th-year head coach John Fuchs and eighth-year assistant Courtney Moeller. The Vikings earned national runner-up honors last season at the NCAA Division II Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Florida.

 

Here is a look at the regatta results from the 2023 GNAC Rowing Championships:

 

 

Here is a look at the final team scoring to determine the 2023 GNAC Championships. Teams were scored based on placing in the Varsity 4+ and Varsity 8+ race as follows. 

 

 

The following chart shows how the points were awarded for the GNAC Championships:

 

 

Here is a look at the boat lineups for the Vikings for the three entries in the 2023 GNAC Rowing Championships:

 

 

More information on the WWU Rowing program, 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 head coach John Fuchs (25th season), WWU Rowing is 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, 3rd in 2019 and runner-up again in 2022. WWU has competed in the NCAA Championships in 18 of the last 21 seasons, taking home the gold (8 times) or silver (5 times) medal 13 times in the 20 years the NCAA Division II team title has been awarded, and reached the podium all 18 times. Western won seven consecutive DII national championships from 2005-2011. The Vikings added the 2022 GNAC Rowing Championships team and V8+ titles to its trophy case this season, in addition to the WIRA V8+ Gold Medal.

 

WWU Rowing Inside the Numbers:

19 – NCAA II Rowing Championship Appearances (out of 21)

15 – Individual Championships (Eight-6, Fours-9)

8 – National Championships (2005-11, 2017)

5 – National Runner-Up Finishes