GOLD RIVER, Calif. – Washington State rowing finished seventh, just two and a half points behind No. 13 USC in sixth, at the 2019 Pac-12 Rowing Championships, Sunday, at Lake Natoma near Sacramento, Calif. 

Due to inclement weather in the forecast, racing was moved up an hour and the schedule was flipped, as the higher-point value races took place first rather than at the end of racing. Washington State finished with 12.5 points for seventh. No. 1 ranked Washington squeaked out its third-straight Pac-12 Championship with 39.5 points, just a half of a point ahead of No. 3 Stanford in second with 39 points and just one point ahead of No. 2 California in third with 38.5 points. UCLA placed fourth with 21 points, followed by No. 18 Oregon State in fifth with 16 points and No. 13 USC in sixth with 15 points.

"We raced our hearts out today," WSU head coach Jane LaRiviere said. "We came up a little short today, but it wasn't for lack of effort. The entire team was a great bunch to coach all year. They overcame some adversity and really were great teammates. The 2V had a fantastic race today and I'm stoked about the returners coming back next year. I can't help but look forward to the future of Cougar Rowing." 

The Pac-12 crown came down to the final scored race of the day, the third varsity eight, which awarded 3.5 points to the winner, 3 points to second place, 2.5 to third, etc. Going into that race, Washington, California and Stanford were all tied with 36 points. Washington won in decisive fashion with a 10-second victory in a time of 6:39.054. Stanford was second in at 6:49.984, followed by California in third at 6:54.937, to determine the top-three places at the championships. The Cougar third varsity eight crew (coxswain-Jennifer O'Dell, stroke-Katelyn Ware, Emily Weible, Nora Hefte, Madeleine Bingham, Ony Chigozie, Abigail Linnenkohl, Ella Cowan de Wolf, bow-Meg Montgomery) finished nearly nine seconds ahead of UCLA for fifth with a time of 6:59.951, just two seconds behind Oregon State in fourth (6:57.934). The Cougars earned 1.5 points for their finish.  

WSU finished better than its seed in three of the five races, led by the second varsity eight boat which came in as the seventh seed and placed fifth, beating both Oregon State and USC. The Cougar second varsity eight crew (coxswain-Juliet Perry, stroke-Kateryna Maistrenko, Sophia Rogers, Leena Kattel, Sue Yu, Sara Brevick, Renee Kemp, Emma Barrett, bow-Taija Thompson) got off to a slow start, as it was in seventh, a second behind sixth after the first 500 meters. WSU used a surge at the 1,000-meter mark to move into sixth and overtook Oregon State in the final 500 meters to finish with a time of 7:27.930 for fifth and six points, over three seconds ahead of Oregon State in sixth with a time of 7:31.383. Washington won the event with a time of 7:10.967, eight seconds ahead of Stanford in second and California in third. 

The Cougars were also seeded seventh in the varsity four and varsity eight races. In the varsity four, the WSU crew (coxswain-Chloe White, stroke-Samantha Schmidt, Isabella Cristelli, Grace Arnis, bow-Linnea Davison) again got off to a slow start, holding seventh after the first 1,500-meters. The Cougars used a big push in the final 500 meters to catch and pass USC for sixth with a time of 8:00.627 just ahead of USC in seventh with a time of 8:00.838. Washington won the race with a time of 7:26.553, followed by Stanford in second (7:34.887) and California in third (7:49.360). WSU received two points of its sixth-place finish.

WSU's varsity eight crew (coxswain-Hannah Welzbacker, stroke-Megan Duthart, Ivy Elling Quaintance, Kamila Ondrackova, Jessica Norris, Rosalina Torcivia, Emma Conaty, Emma Gribbon , bow-Paige Danielson) jumped out ahead of Oregon State and just trailed USC and UCLA after 500 meters. Despite a push, the Cougars were passed by the Beavers to finish seventh with a time of 6:34.644, just two seconds behind OSU at 6:32.211 in sixth. California captured 21 points by winning the event with a time of 6:11.901, less than a second ahead of Stanford in second (6:12.824) in second and three seconds ahead of Washington (6:13.214) in third. USC finished fourth, followed by UCLA in fifth. WSU earned three points for the seventh-place finish. 
 
The final race of the day, the women's novice eight race, did not count for points. The Cougars (coxswain-Rachel Gartner, stroke-Olivia Olmstead, Allison Nelson, Natalie Williams, Kailey Kassuba, Kendra Mutch, Caroline Kowalchuk, Kyra Parker, bow-Kaylee Logan), seeded fourth of four, held true to their seed, finishing with a time of 6:55.646. Washington won with a time of 6:28.972, followed by California in second (6:40.416) and UCLA in third (6:46.072).

Women's Rowing Pac-12 Championship
Sunday, May 19, 2019 | Lake Natoma | Gold River, Calif. 
Final Results

Women's Team Scores
1. No. 1 Washington, 39.5
2. No. 2 California, 38.5
3. No. 3 Stanford, 39
4. UCLA, 21
5. No. 18 Oregon State, 16
6. No. 13 USC, 15
7. Washington State, 12.5

Women's Varsity Eight Final 1
1. California -  06:11.901 (21 points)
2. Stanford - 06:12.824 (18 points)
3. Washington - 06:13.214 (15 points)
4. USC - 06:24.901 (12 points) 
5. UCLA - 06:27.151 (9 points)
6. Oregon State -  06:32.211 (6 points)
7. Washington State - 06:34.644 (3 points)

WSU Varsity Eight Lineup
coxswain-Hannah Welzbacker 
stroke-Megan Duthart 
7-Ivy Elling Quaintance 
6-Kamila Ondrackova 
5-Jessica Norris 
4-Rosalina Torcivia
3-Emma Conaty
2-Emma Gribbon 
bow-Paige Danielson 

Women's Second Varsity Eight Final 1
1. Washington - 07:10.967 (14 points)
2. Stanford - 07:18.303 (12 points)
3. California - 07:18.873 (10 points)
4. UCLA - 07:24.183 (8 points)
5. Washington State - 07:27.930 (6 points)
6. Oregon State - 07:31.383 (4 points)
7. USC - 07:34.110 (2 points)

WSU Second Varsity Eight Lineup
coxswain-Juliet Perry 
stroke-Kateryna Maistrenko 
7-Sophia Rogers 
6-Leena Kattel 
5-Sue Yu 
4-Sara Brevick 
3-Renee Kemp 
2-Emma Barrett 
bow-Taija Thompson 


Women's Varsity Four Final 1
1. Washington - 07:26.553 (7 points)
2. Stanford - 07:34.887 (6 points)
3. California - 07:49.360 (5 points)
4. Oregon State - 07:51.673 (4 points)
5. UCLA - 07:55.465 (3 points)
6. Washington State - 08:00.627 (2 points)
7. USC - 08:00.838 (1 points)

WSU Varsity Four Lineup
coxswain-Chloe White 
stroke-Samantha Schmidt 
3-Isabella Cristelli 
2-Grace Arnis 
bow-Linnea Davison  

Women's Third Varsity Eight Final 1
1. Washington - 06:39.054 (3.5 points)
2. Stanford - 06:49.984 (3 points)
3. California - 06:54.937 (2.5 points)
4. Oregon State - 06:57.934 (2 points)
5. Washington State - 06:59.951 (1.5 points)
6. UCLA - 07:08.307 (1 point)

WSU Third Varsity Eight Lineup
coxswain-Jennifer O'Dell 
stroke-Katelyn Ware 
7-Emily Weible 
6-Nora Hefte 
5-Madeleine Bingham 
4-Ony Chigozie 
3-Abigail Linnenkohl 
2-Ella Cowan de Wolf 
bow-Meg Montgomery 

Women's Novice Eight Final 1
1. Washington - 06:28.972
2. California - 06:40.416
3. UCLA - 06:46.072
4. Washington State - 06:55.646

WSU Novice Eight Lineup
coxswain-Rachel Gartner 
stroke-Olivia Olmstead
7-Allison Nelson 
6-Natalie Williams 
5-Kailey Kassuba 
4-Kendra Mutch 
3-Caroline Kowalchuk 
2-Kyra Parker 
bow-Kaylee Logan