BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Racing at home on Lake Samish for the third time in the last 12 years, the No. 2 nationally ranked Western Washington University women's rowing team had a successful day of competition racing head-to-head against the University of Puget Sound.

 

Heading into the key part of the 2026 season, the Vikings won four of five races against the Loggers on a new course on Lake Samish. The newly constructed bridge on the North end of the lake allowed for the crews to finish the 2,000-meter course near Samish Park giving fans a great vantage point of the action.

 

WWU clocked a speedy time in the opening race of the regatta with the Varsity 8+ clocking 6:52.34 to finish ahead of UPS (7:03.54) for the open water victory. The lineup featured All-Americans Taylor Wall and coxswain Janisa Cook. The 2nd Varsity 8+ closed out the first session with a winning time of 7:34.38.

 

The second session of racing featured three four-oared boat lineups to close out the regatta. WWU recorded wins in the DII V4+/Novice 4+ (8:06.19) and Varsity 4+ (8:02.37), with UPS winning the Open 4+.

 

"It was a great day of racing on Lake Samish and we are excited to grow this event in the future to give our fans and alumni a great venue to watch the Vikings in action," said WWU head coach Courtney Moeller. "The team had a great day in some challenging conditions, which will prove beneficial as we head into the WIRA Championships in two weeks. A special thanks to UPS for coming up to Bellingham to compete in the Viking Invitational."
 

 

The 2,000-meter course for the Viking Invitational ran south to north on Lake Samish, with the final stretch of each race crossing under the newly constructed bridge with fans cheering on both teams. Fans were able to watch the event from both the bridge over Lake Samish and Samish Park.

 

The Vikings are back in action in two weeks at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships held April 25-26 with WWU making its annual trek to Lake Natoma in Gold River, California . The complete 2026 WWU rowing schedule can be found online at WWUVikings.com.

 

Here is a look at results from WWU's races at the Viking Invitational held Saturday on Lake Samish in Bellingham:

 

 

Here is a look at the lineups for the Vikings at the Viking Invitational:

 

 

Here is a look at the current CRCA Coaches Poll with the Vikings checking in at No. 2 in the week five rankings:

 

 

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 2019 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)