BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The top-ranked Western Washington University women’s rowing team will send four crews to the 2017 Collegiate Covered Bridge Regatta held Saturday on Dexter Lake in Lowell, Oregon.

The Vikings have entries in the Varsity 8+, 2nd Varsity 8+, Varsity 4+ and the 2nd Varsity 4+, with the first race scheduled to start at 8:30 am. The V8+ and V4+ will each compete in the first of two heats in the morning, with the top three from each heat advancing to the afternoon Grand Final and the remaining to the Petite Final. The 2nd Varsity squads in both the 8 and 4-oar boats will complete once each in the morning and afternoon.

This week’s regatta on Dexter Lake, which is situated 15 miles southeast of Eugene, features all four of the Division II West Region teams and several Division I talented programs. WWU is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA II West Region rankings, followed by Humboldt State, UC San Diego and Seattle Pacific. In the national USRowing/CRCA Division II poll, WWU is No. 1 for the third consecutive week, followed by Florida Institute of Technology, Central Oklahoma, Humboldt State and Barry.

“The team has had some good training since our last event in San Diego,” said 19th-year head coach John Fuchs. “We want to see our crews dial in the race plan with more focus. It will be exciting to see our whole team race as well. It has been quite a while since our last full team event. This trip is always beneficial for team chemistry too. The weather looks promising for Dexter Lake which will be a bonus and a welcome change from the cold and rain here in Bellingham. The competition will be fierce there with all the teams in our division competing plus a few fast D1 programs. We’re excited for the trip!”

This is the third competition for WWU this season, having won all 9 races up to this point, including a sweep in the V8+ and V4+ at the San Diego Crew Classic April 1-2 on Mission Bay, and winning all 6 races in the season-opening PLU Invitational.

The Vikings will have four races in the morning and four in the afternoon, starting with the 2V8+ AM flight at 8:30 am.

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