WSU rowing is set for the 2022 season, releasing their schedule on Jan. 20.

The Cougars finished the 2021 season ranked No. 19 in the nation, according to the College Rowing Coaches Association. 

This year’s preseason poll has not yet come out, but expect the Cougars to be ranked once the poll is released around the beginning of March.

Last year, WSU had a strong season, finishing fifth at the Pac-12 Championships and holding a top-20 rank. The Cougs finished last season with an NCAA Championships appearance, the 14th invite in program history and the ninth appearance in 11 years.

The spring season will start with a very challenging regatta. The team opens their campaign with a March 5 date on Lake Las Vegas against Pac-12 foes USC and Washington. The Huskies will likely come into the event with the No. 1 ranking in all college crew. Last season, Washington finished third in the NCAA Championships for eights and won the national championship in fours. 

WSU then faces off against the Oregon State Beavers in their annual battle for the Winchell Cup (overall regatta) and the Crawford Plate (varsity eight). Last season, Oregon State took both pieces of hardware away from the Cougars.

The Cougs return to Lake Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Invitational on April 9-10. The following weekend, WSU will head to Sarasota, Florida, to compete in the Big Ten Invitational at Nathan Benderson Park, home of the NCAA National Championships.

The Cougars will enjoy a slightly longer break of two weeks before heading to Spokane for a dual meet with Gonzaga on the Spokane River. The meet will be for the Fawley Cup, which WSU has won all but three times in its history dating back to 1991. 

Two weeks later, WSU will head back to Dexter Lake, home of the Beavers, for the Pac-12 Championships.

Then, if all goes well, WSU will head back to Sarasota on May 27 for the three-day NCAA Championships meet.