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Cougs have Another Strong Performance on the Final Day of the Big Ten Invite

Apr 18, 2021

BETHEL, Ohio – The No. 18-ranked Washington State rowing team capped off the two-day Big Ten Invitational on a strong note on Sunday, April, 18, as the first varsity eight and varsity four boats posted strong times in their final races on Harsha Lake.

The No. 18 Cougars were paired up against a trio of top-20 teams in Sunday morning's races. WSU squared off against No. 11 Rutgers, No. 12 Indiana and No. 20 Syracuse to conclude its two-day, nine-race weekend at the Big Ten Invitational.

"First, I'd like to thank the Rutgers coaching staff and the Big Ten for hosting a great event," said WSU rowing head coach Jane LaRiviere. "There was plenty of space and the attention to detail made it feel like a very-safe environment."

The first varsity eight boat was in a tightly-contested battle for second place in its heat against No. 12 Indiana and No. 20 Syracuse, as only 1.983 seconds separated the trio of boats. Washington State finished the flight with a time of 6:36.171, only 0.425 seconds behind the Orange. Rutgers finished the course in 6:42.188 to claim flight victory.

The varsity four boat also had a strong showing in its final race on Harsha Lake, as Washington State finished with a time of 7:35.435 in the four-team race. The Cougars held a +8.952 margin over No. 12 Indiana to take third in Sunday morning's varsity four race. WSU's second varsity eight boat took fourth in its flight against Rutgers, Indiana and Syracuse with a time of 6:57.026.

"I was proud of the Cougs today," LaRiviere expressed. "The first varsity eight boat was in the thick of a great race. We will learn from that battle and it will make us better moving forward. The varsity four boat also had a good run down the course. They seemed to be improving their consistency. All-in-all, it was a solid weekend."

After racing for three-straight weekends, the Cougars will take a weekend off before hosting No. 18 Oregon State at Wawawai Landing on May 1. Coach LaRiviere and the Cougars are looking forward to the extended stay at home, as they continue to gear up for the remainder of the 2021 spring season.

"We race OSU in a couple of weeks at home and then it is time for the Pac-12 Champs. It will be great to get back home and get back to regular training on the Snake River. There is still speed to be gained."

For more information on the Washington State rowing team, follow @WSUCougarRowing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Sunday's Big Ten Invitational Results

First Varsity Eight Results
1) No. 11 Rutgers – 6:28.194
2) No. 12 Indiana – 6:34.188
3) No. 20 Syracuse – 6:35.746
4) No. 18 Washington State - 6:36.171 (Emma Barrett, Renee Kemp, Samantha Schmidt, Abigail Linnenkohl, Caitlin Donaldson, Kateryna Maistrenko, Lucy Climer-Kennedy, Jessica Norris; coxswain: Ainsley Tiernan)

Second Varsity Eight Results
1) No. 11 Rutgers – 6:42.188
2) No. 12 Indiana – 6:46.571
3) No. 20 Syracuse – 6:48.906
4) No. 18 Washington State – 6:57.026 | Flight 2 (Cate Field, Laurita Nemeraviciute, Madeleine Bingham, Ilaria Macchi, Sue Yu, Hana Anderson, Cierra Bird, Grace Trujillo; coxswain: Paloma Probart)

Varsity 4+ Race
1) No. 20 Syracuse – 7:28.844
2) No. 11 Rutgers – 7:33.532
3) No. 18 Washington State – 7:35.435 (Molly Miller, Isabella Cristelli, Jensyn Smith, Maddy Pollard; coxswain: Makenna Price)
4) No. 12 Indiana – 7:44.387