SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Gonzaga's Varsity 8+ was named the West Coast Conference Women's Rowing Team of the Month for April, league officials announced Thursday.
The GU crew consists of Karly Dougherty (cox), Kara Soucek, Ingrid Stansberry, Isabelle Belzil, Devyn Bell, Brooklyn Beeler, Maddie Turbes, Casey Burt and Olivia Marsh.
Gonzaga achieved the highest national ranking in school history, checking in at No. 19 in the CRCA poll. That came on the strength of a strong month that included strong finishes against the nation's top teams. The Zags earned a pair of second-place finishes behind top-five teams in No. 2 Brown and No. 3 Cal on the first day of the Lake Natoma Invitational before claiming victory (6:37.8) on the second day over Notre Dame (6:44.0) and WCC rival San Diego (6:46.2).
A week later, the Zags against faced more of the nation's best at the Clemson Invitational. GU's Varsity 8+ posted second and third-place finishes in two races on the first day, featuring faster times than No. 16 UCLA and No. 20 Minnesota in its afternoon session.
Gonzaga Varsity Eight - April Results
4/04/15 - Washington State - 6:29.08 (2nd)
4/11/15 - Lake Natoma Invitational - 6:27.2 (2nd)
4/11/15 - Lake Natoma Invitational - 6:45.1 (2nd)
4/12/15 - Lake Natoma Invitational - 6:37.8 (1st)
4/18/15 - Clemson Invitational - 6:42.1 (2nd)
4/18/15 - Clemson Invitational - 6:30.2 (3rd)
4/19/15 - Clemson Invitational - 6:35.3 (4th)
Gonzaga will head to the WCC Championships in Gold River, Calif., this weekend. Races begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning. The conference champion will earn a berth into the NCAA Championships.
