Varsity Four Moves to A/B Semifinals on Day One of the NCAA Rowing Championship
SARASOTA, Fla. – Washington State's varsity four boat took first place in its repechage race to claim a spot in the A/B semifinals to highlight day one for the WSU rowing team at the 2021 NCAA Rowing Championship.
The varsity four clocked in at 7:25.09 in the afternoon repechage to secure a spot in tomorrow's, May 29, A/B semifinal and guaranteeing them a spot in the top-12 at the 2021 NCAA Rowing Championships. The Cougars knocked off California, Princeton, SMU, Gonzaga, Northeastern and Rhode Island in the second of two races for the varsity four on the first day at Nathan Benderson Park.
WSU was battling a quartet of teams throughout the varsity four repechage and sat in fourth place after the first 500 meters of the race. The Cougs closed the gap at the 1,000-meter mark, as they trailed then-leader Princeton by a little less than a second heading into the final stretch. Washington State put it into another gear in the final 500 meters, as they took first place and finished 1.345 seconds ahead of second-place California.
"It's really exciting to see the varsity four take first place and advance to the A/B semifinals tomorrow," said WSU rowing assistant coach Allie Eaton, who along with Sam Clifford coaches the varsity four boat. "Sam and I have worked a lot with them. We told them to row their race, and that is what they did today. They stayed calm out there in a tight race and they wanted it more than anyone else."
Washington State's varsity four boat advanced to the repechage after placing third in this morning's opening heat. The Cougars clocked in at 7:20.826 in the varsity four heat, which placed them a head of Alabama, Navy and Northeastern.
Both of WSU's varsity eight boats also competed in afternoon repechages on the first day of the NCAA Rowing Championships, after the first varsity eight took third in their morning heat, while the second varsity eight claimed fourth place.
The first varsity eight earned a spot in tomorrow's C/D semifinal after taking fourth in its repechage with a time of 6:33.795. The second varsity eight also punched a ticket into the C/D semifinal with a third-place finish in its repechage. Washington State clocked in at 6:39.595 in the second varsity eight race, finishing ahead of Tennessee, Alabama Northeastern and Rhode Island.
The NCAA Rowing Championship will continue at Nathan Benderson Park this Saturday. Washington State will open the second day at the championship regatta, as the first varsity eight races in the C/D semifinal against Marist, Northeastern, Wisconsin and Navy at 5:12 a.m. PT. The second varsity eight will compete against the likes of Rhode Island, Alabama, Princeton and Marist in its C/D semifinal race, which gets underway at 6 a.m. PT. The varsity four will close out day two at the NCAA Rowing Championship for the Cougs, as they will race in the A/B semifinal final at 7:24 a.m. PT against Virginia, Texas, Ohio State, Rutgers and Duke. Finals will take place this Sunday, May 30.
The NCAA will live stream the races from Benderson Park on the NCAA Championships Live website. Fans can also follow along with live results.
For more information on the Washington State rowing team, and for exclusive behind-the-scenes content of the Coug at the 2021 NCAA Rowing Championship, follow @WSUCougarRowing on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Morning Heats
First Varsity Eight
1) Michigan - 6:23.808
2) Virginia - 6:27.858
3) Washington State - 6:31.668 (Emma Barrett, Renee Kemp, Samantha Schmidt, Abigail Linnenkohl, Caitlin Donaldson, Jessica Norris, Lucy Climer-Kennedy, Kateryna Maistrenko; Coxswain: Ainsley Tiernan)
4) Duke - 6:33.056
5) Northeastern - 6:44.348
6) Rhode Island - 6:53.996
Second Varsity Eight
1) Texas - 6:29.352
2) California - 6:36.338
3) Rutgers - 6:42.092
4) Washington State - 6:51.970 (Cate Field, Hana Anderson, Madeleine Bingham, Ilaria Macchi, Sue Yu, Sydney Wick, Cierra Bird, Molly Miller; Coxswain: Makenna Price)
5) Navy - 7:08.466
Varsity Four
1) Washington - 7.00.944
2) Virginia - 7:02.798
3) Washington State - 7:20.826 (Grace Trujillo, Maddy Pollard, Laurita Nemeraviciute, Isabella Cristelli; Cowswain: Paloma Probart)
4) Alabama - 7:30.406
5) Navy - 7:30.830
6) Northeastern - 7:49.494
Afternoon Repechages
First Varsity Eight
1) Princeton - 6:24.797
2) Syracuse - 6:25.112
3) SMU - 6:25.285
4) Washington State - 6:33.795 (Emma Barrett, Renee Kemp, Samantha Schmidt, Abigail Linnenkohl, Caitlin Donaldson, Jessica Norris, Lucy Climer-Kennedy, Kateryna Maistrenko; Coxswain: Ainsley Tiernan)
5) Northeastern - 6:39.512
6) Gonzaga - 6:42.010
7) Marist - 6:51.847
Second Varsity Eight
1) SMU - 6:34.367
2) Syracuse - 6:36.930
3) Washington State - 6:39.595 (Cate Field, Hana Anderson, Madeleine Bingham, Ilaria Macchi, Sue Yu, Sydney Wick, Cierra Bird, Molly Miller; Coxswain: Makenna Price)
4) Tennessee - 6:42.997
5) Alabama - 6:43.040
6) Northeastern - 7:00.067
7) Rhode Island - 7:03.967
Varsity Four
1) Washington State - 7:25.029 (Grace Trujillo, Maddy Pollard, Laurita Nemeraviciute, Isabella Cristelli; Coxswain: Paloma Probart)
2) California - 7;26.374
3) Princeton - 7:29.327
4) SMU - 7:31.697
5) Gonzaga - 7:47.529
6) Northeastern - 7:53.922
7) Rhode Island - 7:57.604