SEATTLE – Coming off a narrow second-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships, UW women’s crew is motivated and optimistic heading into the upcoming NCAA Championships May 29-31 on Lake Natoma in Gold River, Calif.
In the most recent rankings, the Huskies are No. 5 in the country overall and have the top-ranked boats in both the second varsity and varsity four classifications after dominating the field in both races at the Pac-12 Championships. The varsity eight is currently ranked No. 3 in the country following a third-place finish at the conference championships.
“We learned and grew from our experience at the Pac-12s and our women are really motivated to do well at the NCAAs,” UW head coach Bob Ernst said. “This is a great team with probably the best chance we’ve had in a while to do well at the national championships.”
Making their 19th appearance at the NCAA Championships in 2015, the Huskies are one of just three teams to participate in the national championships every year. The Huskies have a total of nine individual boat NCAA titles, the most recent coming in 2008 when the varsity four took first. UW has three team NCAA championships, the most recent in 2001.
After a dominant run from 1997-2002, which included four varsity eight National Championships and three team titles in six years, the Huskies hit a dry spell but have worked their way back into title contention.
In 2014, the Huskies varsity eight finished in fourth place, their highest finish since 2003. UW women’s crew has placed the varsity eight in the top-five in the last three years,
“With the caliber of young athletes on this team, the future is bright,” Ernst said. “But we are focused on this year. We want to take these athletes as far as we can and make some real noise on the biggest stage. We know we have the rowers to do it.”
Live stream information will be distributed upon availability and a full schedule can be found on NCAA.com. Driving directions and additional details are available on the Sacramento State Aquatic Center website. For updates throughout the competition, follow the Huskies on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @UWHuskyCrew.
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