NCAA Championships
Nathan Benderson Park | Sarasota, Fla.
May 27 | Heat Sheets/Results 
May 28 | 5:12 a.m. PT | Heat Sheets/Results | Live Video
May 29 | 5:12 a.m. PT | Heat Sheets/Results | Live Video

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Gonzaga women's rowing team completed the first day of the NCAA Championships with two races per boat today. In the morning session, Gonzaga's 1V8 and 2V8 competed in Heat 2 while 1V4 raced in Heat 4. The Zags all competed in the Repechage 2 in the afternoon races as well.

The 1V8 boat placed fifth in their heat with a finishing time of 6:39.122. Princeton took first with a time of 6:09.912. The finish put the Zags into the Repechage 2 race in the afternoon, where they finished fifth out of seven boats with a 6:33.742 time. Oregon State placed first with a time of 6:15.564 and GU finished ahead of Jacksonville and Northeastern. The crew competes tomorrow in the Semi-Final 3 heat at 5:12 a.m. Pacific Time.

During the 2V8 race the Bulldogs took fifth in their heat with a 6:58.528 time as Yale took first in 6:12.014. The Zags continued to the 2V8 Repechage 2 as well. In the afternoon, the Bulldogs finished sixth with a time of 6:53.514. Ohio State took first with a time of 6:23.552 as GU finished ahead of Jacksonville's time of 7:00.864. Tomorrow, the Zags will compete at 6 a.m. PT.

The 1V4 crew placed fifth with a time of 7:24.106, ahead of Rhode Island's 7:39.494 finish. Washington took first with a time of 6:52.822. In the afternoon, the boat raced in the Repechage 2 race and placed fifth overall with a 7:29.863 time and ahead of both Northeastern and Boston University. California took first with a finishing time of 7:06.853. The crew is set to compete in the Semi-Final 3 heat tomorrow at 6:48 a.m.

Lineups
Varsity 8+
C: Sailor Hawes
8: Cassidy Parr
7: Grace Dojan
6: Megan Chalfant
5: Hannah Cooney
4: Katie Sierhuis
3: Camille Ruhlin-Hicks
2: Stephanie Westlund
1: Olivia Feistner
 
2nd Varsity 8+
C: Clare Bretschneider
8: Mollie Monson
7: Perrine Sarraute
6: Abigail Gagnon
5: Kailee Jackson
4: Grace Nickas
3: Kaley Grau
2: Ella Beck
1: Quinn Elsenbast
 
Varsity 4+
C: Kathryn Millett
4: Serena Foster
3: Lucianne Salmick
2: Maddie Sontag
1: Sydney Bohn
 
2nd Varsity 4+
C: Maren Marshall
4: Colleen Weber
3: Tatum Heyl
2: Kailee Jackson
1: Samantha Claborn

 
ABOUT THE REGATTA
- Gonzaga is heading back to the NCAA Championships for the seventh-straight year and eighth time in program history after their seventh-straight West Coast Conference Championship on May 14.
- The 2022 NCAA Championships will take place at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla. The event is hosted by the University of Central Florida and Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates.
- The Zags are one of 22 teams in the field. Eleven conferences were awarded automatic qualification and the remaining 11 slots were filled with at-large selections to complete the championship field.
- Gonzaga's varsity eight and second varsity boats are both seeded No. 18 while the varsity four boat is seeded 20th. The Zags will compete in Heat 2 for both the varsity eight and second varsity eight races, while Gonzaga's varsity four boat will compete in Heat 4.
- On Friday, Gonzaga's varsity eight will compete in Heat 2 against California, Princeton, Michigan, and Duke at 6:12 a.m. The 2V8 stacks up against Ohio State, Yale, California and Rutgers at 7 a.m. while the varsity four will face Duke, Ohio State, Washington, SMU, and Rhode Island at 8: 12 a.m.
- This is the third time and second-straight year that GU has raced at Nathan Benderson Park for the NCAA Championships, and the second time in program history GU has raced in the state of Florida. In 2018, Gonzaga placed 18th at the NCAA Championships. Gonzaga's first-ever trip to the NCAA Championships was back in 2013; that year, the regatta was held at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis, Ind. That year, GU finished 19th overall.

 
EVENT HISTORY
- At the last NCAA Rowing Championships in 2021, Gonzaga finished 20th overall. That year, the varsity eight took first in the D Final to finish 19th overall, while the second varsity eight finished fourth in the D Final (22nd overall). The varsity four claimed sixth in the C Final to finish 18th overall.
- The Zags recorded their best finish in program history in 2016 at the NCAA Championships on Lake Natoma, finishing 16th overall with 45 points. The varsity eight had their best finish at the event, taking second in the C Final to finish 14th overall. The second varsity eight also had their best finish in NCAA Championships history, taking 16th after finishing fourth in the C Final. The varsity four took 19th after taking first in the D Final.
- The Zags had set a then-program record with a 17th place overall finish at the NCAA Championships in 2015 with 37 points. The varsity eight finished 15th and the second varsity eight took 19th, both records at the time.
- The varsity four's best finish came in 2013, their first appearance, when they took 16th overall and fourth in the C Final.  The Zags finished 19th overall that season with the varsity eight and second varsity eight taking 19th.