Washington State rowing’s first varsity eight (1V8), second varsity eight (2V8), first varsity four (1V4) and second varsity four (2V4) crews all saw their fastest times of the year at the Big Ten Invitational this past weekend.
In WSU’s first time at the Big Ten Invitational since 2022, its 2V8 crew had arguably the best performance of any Washington State boat on the weekend. It finished first in its Saturday evening race against USC, Michigan State, the University of California-San Diego and Wisconsin, with a final time of 6:37.50.
Just a week prior, the boat had recorded a 7:12.87, while USC’s 2V8 posted a 6:51.86 two weeks back. The Cougs’ 2V8 finished its first spring race at the San Diego Crew Classic in 7:34.59 three weeks ago.
The Cougars’ 1V8 and 2V4 boats also had their best performances of the year Saturday evening. Although the 1V8 finished third and the 2V4 second, they clocked in at 6:35.368 and 7:38.814, respectively. Both results were at least 34 seconds quicker than at the Fawley Cup, and the 1V8’s time was 33 seconds faster than its performance at the Crew Classic.
The 1V4 finished in 7:31.295 during Saturday evening’s race. That time was over 35 seconds faster than the crew’s time in the Fawley Cup, but not its fastest of the weekend.
The tone was set early Saturday, when they went up against No. 9 University of California-Berkeley, No. 23 Indiana and the University of Montana.
The Cougs’ 1V4 set a personal best on the year, finishing in 7:26.424. This was 43 seconds quicker than the boat’s performance at the Fawley Cup and over 60 seconds faster than the Crew Classic.
WSU’s 2V4 crew posted a 7:46.120. The 2V8 and 1V8 boats closed out the Saturday morning session by finishing at 6:41.454 and 6:39.899, respectively. Up until Saturday evening, these were the fastest times these boats had recorded all season.
The Cougars had their last races of the Invitational Sunday morning. All of the crews were up against No. 20 UCLA, USC, Gonzaga and Minnesota. Considering Saturday’s results, there was a solid chance they could place top-three in some races, or at least finish ahead of Gonzaga.
The Cougs’ 1V4, 2V4 and 2V8 boats all placed fourth and finished slower than their two previous times on the weekend. Yet, they all placed ahead of Gonzaga. WSU’s 1V4 and 2V4 finished behind the Bulldogs last weekend.
The 1V8 placed fifth behind the Bulldogs. The boat’s final time of 6:50.067 was over 30 seconds faster than at the Fawley Cup. However, Gonzaga’s 1V8 also took a solid leap in the past week. Last week, they clocked in at 7:20.88, whereas they finished in 6:47.627 Sunday.
This was the last regatta featuring three or more schools that the Cougars will compete in until the West Coast Conference Championships in four weeks. They are up against Oregon State next in two weekends at Dexter Lake.
