By: Janisa Cook, Athletics Communications Graduate Assistant
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – In anticipation of the 2026 rowing season the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association selected three Western Washington University student-athletes as 2026 Athletes to Watch.
Graduate student Janisa Cook, senior Taylor Wall and junior Sarah Plemons were members of the 2024 NCAA Champion Varsity 8+ as well as the 2025 NCAA Runner-up Varsity 8+. Wall and Plemons lead the Vikings this year as team-captains, with Wall being a two-time CRCA First Team All-American. As coxswain of the Varsity 8+ Cook received first-team All-American honors in 2024 and a second-team nomination in 2025.
Coming off a third-place team finish at the 2025 NCAA DII National Championship the Vikings are ranked third in the Pocock CRCA Preseason Coaches Poll.
WWU opens the 2026 season March 7 at the American Lake Sprints and hosts a home regatta racing head-to-head against the University of Puget Sound on April 11 on Lake Samish.
The complete 2026 WWU rowing schedule can be found online at WWUVikings.com.
CRCA D2 ATHLETES TO WATCH
Here is the full Athletes to Watch list from the CRCA for the 2026 season:
|
Athlete
|
School
|
Graduation Year
|
Major
|
|
Janisa Cook
|
Western Washington
|
Graduate Student
|
MBA
|
|
Lexi Roybal
|
Seattle Pacific
|
2026
|
Sociology
|
|
Aria Moses
|
Embry-Riddle
|
2026
|
Aerospace Engineering
|
|
Bella Lisenby
|
Seattle Pacific
|
2026
|
Physiology and Honors
|
|
Ellie Walters
|
Cal Poly Humboldt
|
2026
|
Child Development and Family Relations
|
|
Teagan Hanley
|
Rollins College
|
2029
|
Economics
|
|
Taylor Wall
|
Western Washington
|
2026
|
History and Political Science
|
|
Eva-Louisa Eschbach
|
Central Oklahoma
|
2028
|
Computer Science
|
|
Alisa Hobbs
|
Barry
|
2026
|
Finance
|
|
Lauren Hoffman
|
Embry-Riddle
|
2029
|
Aerospace Engineering
|
|
Miriam Dykstra
|
Seattle Pacific
|
2029
|
Undecided
|
|
Sarah Plemons
|
Western Washington
|
2027
|
Geology and Spanish
|
|
Royce Ankel
|
Cal Poly Humboldt
|
Graduate Student
|
Natural Resource – Forestry
|
|
Gracie Thompson
|
Embry-Riddle
|
2028
|
Mechanical Engineering
|
WWU Rowing is one of the elite collegiate rowing programs in the country across all divisions, having won nine NCAA Division II National Championships. The Vikings won the 2024 NCAA II National title, the 2017 title, placed 2nd in 2018, 3rd in 2025 and runner-up in 2022. WWU has competed in the NCAA Championships in 21 of the 23 NCAA Division II national regattas, taking home the gold (9 times), silver (5 times) and bronze (6) medal 20 times in the 23 years the NCAA Division II team title has been awarded, and reached the podium 20 times. Western won seven consecutive DII national championships from 2005-2011.
WWU Rowing Inside the Numbers:
21 – NCAA II Rowing Championship Appearances (out of 23)
16 – Individual Championships (Eights-7, Fours-9)
9 – National Championships (2005-11, 2017, 2024)
6 – 3rd Place Finishes at Nationals
5 – National Runner-Up Finishes
2 – GNAC Championships (in 5-year history of event)
