UW Begins NCAA Title Defense With Wins In All Heats

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Washington women's rowing team got its defense of its NCAA Championship off to a good start Friday at Nathan Benderson Park, with wins in each of three heats, advancing all three UW boats to A/B semifinals on Saturday.
 
Washington won its heats in the first and second eights, and in the four. The Huskies, ranked No. 2 overall in the latest coaches poll, entered the 2021 NCAA Championships seeded No. 2 in the first eight, first in the second eight and fifth in the varsity four, meaning that the heat victory in the four was a mild upset, with Washington beating fourth-seeded Virginia.
 
On Saturday, the three Husky boats will all race in A/B semifinals, with the top three finishers (out of six) in each semi earning a place in the grand finals on Sunday.
 
Washington's varsity eight was challenged in its heat by seventh-seeded Ohio State, and with the top two finishers all moving through to the A/B semis, those two crews quickly established themselves ahead of the remaining entrants.
 
By 1,000 meters, Washington, stroked by Pac-12 Athlete of the Year Ella Cossill, had established a lead of better than a half-length. As they reached the final 500 meters, the Huskies earned an open-water lead over the Buckeyes and rowed to a win in a time of 6:14.372, nearly seven seconds in front of OSU (6:21.088).
 
Washington's top-seeded second eight fell slightly behind Brown out of the starting dock, but by 250 meters, the Huskies had moved in front. The Huskies continuously stretched their advantage over the 2,000 meters and won by more than a boat-length of open water. Washington's time was 6:25.444, more than eight seconds ahead of second-place Brown.
 
In the final race of the morning, the fourth varsity fours heat, Washington and Virginia, seeded one spot ahead of the UW, broke out to the front from the start and the Cavaliers led very early. However, the Husky four quickly took the lead and had a full length in the third 500. 
 
Virginia put up a good fight, but the Huskies held off the challenge and won the race by about three seats in a time of 7:00.944. The Cavs' final time was 7:02.798.
 
Washington posted the best times of the morning, across all heats, in both the varsity eight and the varsity four. The Huskies' time in the second varsity eight was second-fastest, behind only Stanford, which raced in a different heat.
 
Here is the schedule for Saturday's racing, along with a link to the live video stream:

8:48 a.m. ET / 5:48 a.m. PT – Varsity Eight, A/B semifinal #2
9:24 a.m. ET / 6:24 a.m. PT – Second Varsity Eight, A/B semifinal #1
10:12 a.m. ET / 7:12 a.m. PT – Varsity Four, A/B semifinals #1
Live Video Link https://www.ncaa.com/event/4097

 
WASHINGTON'S NCAA LINEUPS
 
Varsity Eight
Shell: Title IX Tenacity
Cox: Nina Castagna (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills)
Stroke: Ella Cossill (Gold Coast, Australia)
7: Tabea Schendekehl (Dortmund, Germany)
6: Holly Dunford (Tadworth, England, U.K.)
5: Holly Drapp (Tampa, Fla./Strawberry Crest)
4: Isabel van Opzeeland (Hoofddorp, The Netherlands)
3: Angharad Broughton (Cardiff, Wales, U.K.)
2: Teal Cohen (Dallas, Texas/The Hockaday School)
Bow: Skylar Jacobson (Lakewood, Wash./Steilacoom)
 
Second Varsity Eight
Shell: Title IX Sisterhood
Cox: Dana Brooks (Tiburon, Calif./Redwood)
Stroke: McKenna Bryant (Kent, Wash./Kennedy Catholic)
7: Dimitra Tsamopoulou (Athens, Greece)
6: Molly Gallaher (Snoqualmie, Wash./Skyline)
5: Taylor Buell (Olympia, Wash./Capital)
4: Nikki Martincic (Newtown, Sydney, Australia)
3: Lark Skov (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs)
2: Joïe Zier (Orcas Island, Wash./Orcas Island)
Bow: Brittani Shappell (Bellingham, Wash./Walworth Barbour)
 
Varsity Four
Shell: Wendell S. Sykes
Stroke: Carmen McNamara-Smith (Seattle, Wash./Center School)
3: Fiona Shields (Bainbridge Island, Wash./Bainbridge)
2: Katherine Slack (Everett, Wash./Kamiak)
Bow: Sophia Chaffey (Redmond, Wash./Bellevue Christian)
Cox: Sachi Yamamoto (Seattle, Wash./Franklin)
 
WASHINGTON'S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY
 
UW's All-Time NCAA Team Finishes
2019: 1st
2018: 2nd
2017: 1st
2016: 5th
2015: 4th
2014: 7th
2013: 6th
2012: 7th
2011: 8th
2010: 10th
2009: 7th
2008: 2nd
2007: 10th
2006: 7th
2005: 9th
2004: 5th
2003: 3rd
2002: 2nd
2001: 1st
2000: 2nd
1999: 3rd
1998: 1st
1997: 1st
 
UW's All-Time NCAA Boat Champions
Fours (stroke to bow, coxswain)
1999 (Erin Becht, Anna Mickelson, Kara Nykrein, Kellie Schenk, Mary Whipple)
2000 (Lauren Estevenin, Carrie Stasiak, Heidi Hurn, Adrienne Hunter, Anne Heisburg)
2001 (Margherita Pallottino, Yvonne Stenken, Kattie Baurichter, Teegan Simonson, Maili Barber)
2008 (Rachel Powers, Jennifer Park, Charlene Franklin, Adrienne Martelli, Maggie Cheek)
2017 (Valentina Iseppi, Valerie Vogt, Julia Paulsen, Sophia Baker, Marley Avritt)
2019 (Dimitra Tsamopoulou, Kieanna Stephens, Holly Drapp, Emma Vagen, Dana Brooks)*
* - NCAA-record time for fours: 6:52.451
 
Second Eights (coxswain, stroke to bow)
2002 (Anne Hessburg, Jenni Vesnaver, Jessica Harm, Shannon Oates, Erin Becht, Sanda Hangan, Margherita Pallottino, Erin Curry, Mandy Nelson)
2017 (Isabella Corriere, Marlee Blue, Maggie Phillips, Carmela Pappalardo, Phoebe Spoors, Karlé Pittsinger, Bella Chilczuk, Anna Thornton, Calina Schanze)
2018 (Marley Avritt, Brooke Pierson, Katy Gillingham, Carmela Pappalardo, Karlé Pittsinger, Julia Paulsen, Jennifer Wren, Jessica Thoennes, Calina Schanze)
2019 (Amanda Durkin, Klara Grube, Lark Skov, Elise Bueke, Holly Dunford, Molly Gallaher, Mackenna Cameron, Skylar Jacobson, Adele Likin)*
* - NCAA-record time for second eights: 6:11.262
 
First Eights (coxswain, stroke to bow)
1997 (Alida Purves, Sabina Telenska, Denni Nessler, Kelly Horton, Katy Dunnet, Annie Christie, Jan Williamson, Tristine Glick, Kari Green)
1998 (Missy Collins, Sabina Telenska, Denni Nessler, Kelly Horton, Katy Dunnet, Annie Christie, Rachel Dunnet, Vanessa Tavalero, Kari Green)
2001 (Mary Whipple, Lauren Estevenin, Nicole Borges, Anna Mickelson, Rika Geyser, Adrienne Hunter, Carrie Stasiak, Nicole Rogers, Annabel Ritchie)
2002 (Mary Whipple, Lauren Estevenin, Annabel Ritchie, Anna Mickelson, Heidi Hurn, Adrienne Hunter, Carrie Stasiak, Kara Nykreim, Yvonneke Stenken)
2017 (Phoebe Marks-Nicholes, Chiara Ondoli, Elise Beuke, Brooke Pierson, Katy Gillingham, Brooke Mooney, Tabea Schendekehl, Jessica Thoennes, Annemieke Schanze)
2019 (Marley Avritt, Tabea Schendekehl, Calina Schanze, Sofia Asoumanaki, Marlee Blue, Teal Cohen, Valentina Iseppi, Jennifer Wren, Carmela Pappalardo)*
* - NCAA-record time for first eights: 6:07.284
 
All-Time NCAA Rowing Team Championships
Brown – 7
Washington – 5
California – 4
Ohio State – 3
Virginia – 2
Stanford – 1
Harvard – 1
 
All-Time NCAA Rowing Boat (V8+, 2V8+, V4+) Championships
Washington – 16
Brown – 14
Virginia – 9
California – 7
Ohio State – 6
Yale – 4
Princeton – 3
Michigan – 2
Stanford – 2
Clemson – 1
Harvard – 1
Minnesota – 1
USC – 1
 
UW's Pre-NCAA (NCRC) Women's National Championships
Varsity Eight*
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1987
1988
* V8+ winner was considered national champion prior to NCAA regatta
 
Junior Varsity Eight
1981
1982
1983
1987
1989
1994
 
Varsity Four
1987