Cougar rowing hits road for first time this spring

WSU battles top four teams in nation in San Diego

WSU+rowing%E2%80%99s+second+varsity+eight+races+on+Mar.+24+at+Wawawai+Landing.+The+Cougars+finished+third+with+a+time+of+7%3A00.2.

PAIGE CAMPBELL | DAILY EVERGREEN FILE

WSU rowing’s second varsity eight races on Mar. 24 at Wawawai Landing. The Cougars finished third with a time of 7:00.2.

LEXI MCGONEGLE, Evergreen reporter

WSU rowing will head south to compete on the road for the first time this spring in the San Diego Crew Classic on Saturday and Sunday in California.

Head Coach Jane LaRiviere said the team dynamic has been great this year, and practice has been smooth with the great weather and calm water.

“Things have been a bit different this year,” LaRiviere said. “But I feel like since we got a little bit of a late start to getting on the water, they have been extremely focused, and I’m feeling good about the way things are shaping up.”

The regatta will take place at Mission Bay, and the Cougars will face off against No. 1 Washington, No. 2 Cal, No. 3 Stanford and No. 4 Texas who all finished in the top four at the NCAA Championships last year. Ten other teams will also be competing, including Pac-12 foe UCLA.

“We are going to be seeing some hefty competition, and we are very honored to be amongst the crowd that is going to be in San Diego this year,” LaRiviere said.

Last year at the San Diego Crew Classic, the Cougars varsity eight placed fifth and the second varsity eight and varsity four both took fourth.

WSU has been working on its boat selections as they get closer to the NCAA Championships. The Cougars will be sending four boats to San Diego: the varsity eight, second varsity eight, varsity four and second varsity four.

LaRiviere said after the spring opener, the team identified the things they needed to improve on to gain more speed and have been using their time at the boathouse well.

“The team has done a really good job executing practice,” LaRiviere said. “We were stuck indoors for a lot longer than we usually are, and it’s a credit to the team that they’ve kept their heads in a really positive space and they’ve been working really hard.”

Racing will begin at 7:20 a.m. both days with the Cougars varsity eight set to take the water at 9:04 a.m. Saturday in San Diego.