SEATTLE, Wash. - The Gonzaga University women's rowing team put together a strong performance at the 26th annual Windermere Cup/Opening Day Regatta Saturday; its final tune-up before the West Coast Conference Championship. The Bulldogs, rowing on Montlake Cut in Seattle, Wash., placed second in the Varsity 8+ Windermere Cup and third in both the Second Varsity 8+ Erickson Casecade Cup and the Varsity 4+ race.
Rowing at the Windermere Cup/Opening Day Regatta for the first time since 2007, the Bulldog Varsity 8+ placed a respectable second, only behind winner University of Washington. The Huskies, currently ranked sixth in the CRCA/USRowing Poll, closed out the 2,000-meter course in a time of 6:35.9. Gonzaga crossed the finish line at 6:53.6; 10 seconds ahead of the Argentina National Team. Argentina, coming off a successful season that saw the program rack up eight medals at the 2011 Pan American Games, finished in 7:03.5.
The Bulldog Second Varsity 8+ had nearly the exact same time as the Varsity 8+ did. The Zags ended the course in 6:53.9, which placed them third in the Erickson Cascade Cup. Washington won the race in 6:44.3, while Otaga, a university crew from New Zealand, placed second at 6:47.8.
Opening the racing off for Gonzaga Saturday was the Varsity 4+. Washington's top two boats finished first and second, respectively. Washington's top boat earned the victory in 7:09.3, while the Huskies second boat placed second at 7:22.0. The Bulldogs crossed the finish line in third at 7:29.5.
Gonzaga now focuses its attention on the WCC Championship, which is set for Saturday, May 12 on Lake Natoma, outside Sacramento, Calif.
Windermere Cup/Opening Day Regatta - Saturday, May 5, 2012 - Montlake Cut - Seattle, Wash.
Co-hosted by Windermere Real Estate, the Seattle Yacht Club and the University of Washington
Windermere Cup (Varsity 8+)
1. Washington, 6:35.9
2. Gonzaga, 6:53.6
3. Argentina, 7:03.5
Erickson Cascade Cup (Second Varsity 8+)
1. Washington, 6:44.3
2. Otago, 6:47.8
3. Gonzaga, 6:53.9
4. Western Washington, 6:55.5
Varsity 4+
1. Washington (1), 7:09.3
2. Washington (2), 7:22.0
3. Gonzaga, 7:29.5
4. Victoria, 7:33.6
5. Western Washington, 7:46.6
6. Portland, 8:05.4
