BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women’s rowing team returns to action this weekend with a pair of crews racing in the 32nd Annual Windermere Cup hosted by the University of Washington this Saturday on the Montlake Cut in Seattle. The annual spring rowing event is held in conjunction with the Seattle Yacht Club’s Opening Day parade, which marks the beginning of boating season in Seattle.
WWU will compete in the Women’s Collegiate Varsity 4+ and the Women’s Cascade Cup Varsity 8+. Racing starts at 10:20 am, with the Varsity 4+ set to take to the 2,000-meter course at 10:52 am and the Varsity 8+ at 11:10 am. The Vikings will race against Seattle University and two UW entries in the fours, and UW and PLU in the eights.
“We are always excited and honored to be invited to this great regatta put on by the University of Washington,” said 20th-year WWU head coach John Fuchs. “Windermere and the UW do a great job of hosting this event and promoting rowing in the northwest. It is a great spectacle and a tremendous experience for our student-athletes to participate in.”
Coming off a great showing at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships last weekend on Lake Natoma in Gold River, California, WWU’s boat lineups will feature a bit of a change in the last regular-season regatta of the season. The Varsity 4+ lineup that won the gold medal at WIRA will jump into the last four seats of the eights.
The Vikings moved up to No. 2 in the NCAA Division II West Region rankings, with the fours holding the top spot after their gold-medal performance at the WIRA Championships. WWU also moved up to No. 4 in the most recent USRowing/CRCA NCAA Division II coaches poll.
Western, the 2017 NCAA Division II national champion, will then wait for the NCAA Division II Rowing Championships Selection Show that will air on Monday, May 14 at 2 pm PT on NCAA.com.
THE RACE SCHEDULE
The Windermere Cup returns to the Montlake Cut for the 32nd year on Saturday, May 5, with races starting at 10:20 am. WWU is scheduled to race at 10:52 am (Women’s Collegiate Varsity 4+) and 11:10 am (Women’s Cascade Cup).