Bearcats Place Fourth at First-Ever NWC Rowing Championship

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Willamette University took fourth place in the team standings at the first-ever Northwest Conference Rowing Championship on Sunday, April 19. The regatta was held at Vancouver Lake in Vancouver, Washington. The Bearcats earned fourth place in the women's varsity 8+ to attain their overall finish.

The NWC Championship featured a women's varsity 8+ race and a women's second varsity 8+ race. Willamette and Pacific University did not compete in the W2V8+.

Point totals were assigned to finishes in each race, with more points available in the WV8+ (30 for winning) than in the W2V8+ (12 for winning). University of Puget Sound claimed the team title with a score of 42. Lewis & Clark College was second at 35, with Pacific Lutheran University close behind in third at 34. Willamette was fourth with 21 points and Pacific was fifth with 18.

Race conditions were excellent with sunny, warm weather and a tailwind of about six miles per hour.

The WV8+ was won by Puget Sound in 7:02.50 over the, 2,000-meter course. Lewis & Clark was second at 7:12.28 and Pacific Lutheran placed third at 7:18.35. Willamette was fourth with a time of 7:50.59 and Pacific was fifth at 8:14.84. The W2V8+ from Puget Sound was victorious in its race at 7:24.13.

Rowing for Willamette in the WV8+ were stroke Hannah Puckett (So., Davis, CA/Davis HS), 7-seat Sarah Fish (Jr., Issaquah, WA/Holy Names Academy), 6-seat Katy Wallner (Jr., Petaluma, CA/Petaluma HS), 5-seat Abby Bernhard (Fr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS), 4-seat Bea McAlister (Jr., Kenmore, WA/Inglemoor HS), 3-seat Angela Witty (Jr./Fr., Eugene, OR/Sheldon HS), 2-seat Molly Pritchard (So., Medford, OR/South Medford HS), and bow Carrie Moore (Fr., Walla Walla, WA/South Eugene HS).

Julia Di Simone (Fr., Livermore, CA/Livermore Valley Charter Prep) was the coxswain for the WV8+ crew.

Wallner was chosen for All-Northwest Conference honors. A total of nine rowers from the five NWC teams were selected. Head Coach Aaron Benson from Puget Sound was named NWC Coach of the Year.

During the Cascade Cup later in the day, Willamette defeated Puget Sound in the women's novice 4+ with a time of 8:53.39. Puget Sound's time in the race was 9:01.15.

The Willamette WN4+ included coxswain Navi Hewage (Fr., Walnut Creek, CA/Northgate HS), along with Sarah Crabb (Fr., Highlands Ranch, CO/Mountain Vista HS) at stroke, Elsa Roush (Fr., Jackson Hole, WA/Jackson Hole HS) at 3-seat, Gillian Weisenfluh (Fr., Atherton, CA/Menlo Atherton HS) at 2-seat, and Ingrid Avila (Fr., Redwood City, CA/Summit Prep) at bow.

It was the first competition in a four for Willamette's current novice lineup.

"Great racing for both boats," WU Head Coach Reba Knickerbocker said regarding the day's results. "And kudos to our novice 4+ that came in first."

The Bearcats will return to action Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26 at the 2015 Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships. Races during the prestigious regional event will be held at Lake Natoma near Gold River, California.