UW Women Qualify All Three Boats For NCAA Grand Finals
SARASOTA, Fla. – The Washington women's rowing team continued its quest to retain the NCAA Championship Saturday morning at Nathan Benderson Park as all three crews earned a spot in Sunday's grand finals.
Needing a top-three finish in each semifinal to advance to the grands, Washington finished first in its second varsity eight semifinal, while taking second place in both the varsity eight and varsity four.
Washington was one of five programs to earn a spot in all three grand finals, alongside Texas, Stanford, Michigan and Virginia. Ohio State qualified for two of three – all but the varsity eight, where Rutgers earned a berth. One of those five programs will win the national championship, which is based a team points total.
In the first race, the varsity eight, Washington led after 500 meters, but in the second 500, Stanford pulled in front. The Cardinal, who had given the Huskies their toughest race all year at Pac-12s (UW won that race), held off the Huskies, who had a clear path to the grand final by virtue of an open water lead over third-place Virginia.
Stanford won the race in 6:08.504, five seats ahead of the Washington varsity (6:10.088)
Washington's second varsity eight won its race in wire-to-wire fashion, with the drama involving second and third-place races. Washington won in 6:17.006, while Ohio State came from fourth place at 1,000 meters to take second. Michigan finished third, just a half-second behind its rival and less than two-tenths of a second in front of California.
Stanford took command of the varsity four race from the start, moving away from what began as a very tightly packed field to earn the win. Washington moved from third position behind Michigan and into second in the second 500 and earned a comfortable second place in 6:58.751. Stanford's time was 6:53.207.
Sunday, the Huskies will attempt to retain their NCAA Championship, earned at the most recently-held national regatta in 2019. Here is the schedule of grand finals, along with a live video link:
7:00 a.m. PT – Varsity Four+, grand final
7:24 a.m. PT – Second Varsity Eight+, grand final
7:48 a.m. PT – Varsity Eight+, grand final
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