GAINESVILLE, Ga. – The Western Washington University women's rowing team won all four of its races Friday to put an exclamation point on winning the program's 10th NCAA Division II National Championship at Lake Lanier Olympic Park.

 

Normally a two-day championship, expected inclement weather in north Georgia pushed the event forward to a one-day all-or-nothing championship with heats early Friday morning and the grand finals taking the same afternoon.

 

The Vikings entered the regatta ranked No. 1 nationally in the CRCA Coaches Poll and backed it up with a dominating performance to sweep the podium winning the gold medal in the Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+ for a perfect team score of 30 points.

 

Western's 10th rowing national title was the 14th by WWU Athletics across softball, men's basketball and women's soccer, and 13th since joining the NCAA level in 1998-99. WWU's 10 NCAA women's rowing titles include seven consecutive from 2005-2011, 2017, 2024 and 2026.

 

"It doesn't get much better than today! Our athletes delivered championship performances and showed incredible resilience in adapting to the schedule changes," said WWU head coach Courtney Moeller. "Both crews raced with composure, maturity and confidence against elite competition. When challenged, they trusted their preparation and executed their race plans flawlessly."

 

An early morning of racing started at 8:02 am eastern time – which equates to 5:02 am on the West Coast – a time that is familiar to WWU Rowing as practices normally start close to 5 am on Lake Samish. The Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+ both earned wins in the morning heats and backed those performances up with wins in the afternoon Grand Final.

 

The Varsity 8+ opened the Grand Final round with a dominating win clocking 6:41.526 on the 2,000-meter course for a 3-second victory over GNAC rival Seattle Pacific.

 

The Varsity 4+ followed with a gritty victory, leading through the first 1500 meters, slipping into second place to a hard-charging Jefferson crew, and taking back the lead over the final 250 meters to earn the gold medal.

 

The Vikings earned the podium sweep with gold medals in the eights and fours for the first time since 2011, the final title of the incredible stretch of seven consecutive national championships from 2005-2011. 

 

"Winning NCAA Championships in the Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+, and also securing the team title, is no small feat, and this group was up for the challenge," added Moeller, who transitioned into the head coaching role two years ago after joining as an assistant in 2015 and was a national champion rower at WWU. "Today's results are a true testament to the commitment, discipline, and teamwork this team has demonstrated all season. We couldn't be prouder of this group and the way they represented our team, program, and university today. Our seniors also deserve a huge shoutout for their leadership, dedication, and the example they set both on and off the water. It's a great day to be a Viking!"

 

The Varsity 8+ got things started in the opening heat in the morning, building throughout the 2,000-meter race for an open-water victory to advance directly to the Grand Final. The eight-oared boat was led by GNAC co-Rower of the Year Taylor Wall in the stroke seat, graduate student coxswain Janisa Cook and senior bow Lex Clark. Western clocked as speedy time of 6:42.983 for over a 10-second win over second-place Embry-Riddle.

 

The Varsity 4+ followed with a slight open-water victory over Embry-Riddle clocking 7:45.290 to advance directly to the afternoon Grand Final. The crew was led by sophomore stroke seat Isabelle Mullick, freshman Sofia Scicchitano in the bow and senior coxswain Malea Moy. WWU finished just ahead of Embry-Riddle by nearly five seconds. Cal Poly Humboldt won the second heat with the fastest qualifying time in 7:43.087, holding off Jefferson (7:46.253) in a tight heat race.

 

Western Washington won its 10th national title with a perfect team score of 30, winning the gold medal in both the Varsity 8+ (18 points) and Varsity 4+ (12 points). Cal Poly Humboldt was the national runner-up for the second consecutive season with 20 team points earning the bronze medal in the eights and fours.

 

 

Here is a look at the lineups that raced for the Vikings Friday at the NCAA Championships:

 

 

Here is a look at the results from Friday's competition at the 2026 NCAA Division II Rowing Championships.

 

 

WWU has now advanced to the NCAA Division II Rowing Championships in 22 of the 24 years of the event (22 of 23 in full seasons) and 23 total times to the national rowing regatta (was a combined championship prior to 2002). The Vikings are 10-time national champions, winning seven consecutive titles from 2005-11 and again in 2017, 2024 and adding the 10th title in 2026. In 23 trips to the DII Rowing Championships, Western has taken home the gold (10 times) or silver (5 times) medal 15 times.

 

Here is a look at the team scoring format and points breakdown for the 2026 NCAA Rowing Championships:

 

 

The NCAA Division II Rowing Championships features a six-team field with each program fielding a Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+ lineup. This year's field consists of three teams from the West Region:

 

 

Here is a look at the national champion and runner-up from each of the 24 years that the NCAA Division II has crowned a national title dating back to 2002. WWU won seven consecutive national titles from 2005-11 and returned to the top of the podium in 2017, 2024 and added its 10th national title in 2026.

 

 

Here are some handy links on how to follow the Vikings at the NCAA Rowing Championships in Georgia:

 

• NCAA Division II Rowing
• Live Results
• Webcast via NCAA.com
• Program
• D2 Rowing History
• Row2k.com Coverage
• 2026 WWU Regatta Results

 

Here is a look at the schedule for the NCAA II Rowing Championships that moved from a two-day event to a one-day championship on Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia. The top two finishing crews from each heat advanced directly to the grand final later Friday afternoon and the third-place crew moved to the petite final. The normal afternoon repechages were cancelled due to the expected inclement weather.

 

 

WWU Rowing is one of the elite collegiate rowing programs in the country across all divisions, having won 10 NCAA Division II National Championships. The Vikings have won two of the last three national titles (2024 & 2026), the 2017 title, placed 2nd in 2018, 3rd in 2019 and runner-up in 2022. WWU has competed in the NCAA Championships in 23 of the 25 NCAA Division II national regattas, taking home the gold (10 times), silver (5 times) and bronze (6) medal 21 times in the 24 years the NCAA Division II team title has been awarded, and reached the podium 21 times. Western won seven consecutive DII national championships from 2005-2011.

 

WWU Rowing Inside the Numbers:

22 – NCAA II Rowing Championship Appearances (out of 24)

18 – Individual Championships (Eights-8, Fours-10)

10 – National Championships (2005-11, 2017, 2024, 2026)

6 – 3rd Place Finishes at Nationals

5 – National Runner-Up Finishes

3 – GNAC Championships (in 6-year history of event)