The Cougar rowing team spent Memorial Day weekend on the waters of Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida, where it earned a top 15 finish as a program and a top ten finish in one event.

After strong performances on both Friday and Saturday, the Cougars got set for the final round of events on Sunday.

None of the three WSU squads competed in a grand final, but every unit was able to secure a top 15 finish individually.

“We train all year to have our best performance on the Sunday of the NCAA Championships, and I think the team really pulled through with that today,” head coach Jane LaRiviere said.

The second varsity eight competed first in the C Final. Competing against Duke, Princeton, Tennessee, Alabama and Navy, the Cougars were able to finish third in the regatta, placing them at 15th overall.

The group was made up of sophomore Cate Field, freshman Hana Anderson, fifth-year senior Madeleine Bingham, freshman Ilaria Macchi, fifth-year senior Sue Yu, freshman Sydney Wick, sophomore Cierra Bird, sophomore Molly Miller and sophomore Makenna Price as the coxswain.

Up next was the first varsity eight, who also competed in the C Final. Competing against Southern Methodist University, Wisconsin, Duke, Tennessee and Navy, the Cougars were able to pick up another third-place finish. Once again, this meant they would finish 15th overall in the event.

The team consisted of senior Emma Barrett, fifth-year senior Renee Kemp, junior Samantha Schmidt, senior Abigail Linnenkohl, sophomore Caitlin Donaldson, senior Jessica Norris, freshman Lucy Climer-Kennedy, senior Kateryna Maistrenko and freshman Ainsley Tiernan as the coxswain.

Finally for WSU was the Petite Final for the varsity four. WSU competed against Rutgers, Duke, California, Syracuse and Brown. The Cougars picked up a second-place finish to earn an eighth-overall result in the event.

“Kudos to them, I think it is a great accomplishment anytime we can have a top-10 finish at NCAAs,” LaRiviere said.

The team was made up of sophomore Grace Trujillo, sophomore Maddy Pollard, sophomore Laurita Nemeraviciute, fifth-year senior Isabella Cristelli and freshman Paloma Probart as the coxswain

Ultimately, the Texas Longhorns won the 2021 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championship in a tiebreaker over two Pac-12 teams, Washington and Stanford.