PULLMAN, Wash. -- The Gonzaga women's rowing team competed at Washington State on Friday afternoon and won five of the six races against the Cougars.
"We are very proud of the work our seniors have done during their time here to shift the mentality to be able to win in 5 out of 6 events against our rival to the south," head coach
Andrew Derrick said.
The highlight of the day was the Second Varsity Eight boat that held onto their lead late into the race despite a last minute push from Washington State. The Zags finished ahead of WSU with a time of 6:46.12 compared to Washington State's 6:52.59.
"I know for my teammates its been a long time coming,"
Katherine Stenning said. "I think we stepped up to a new level today and I am really proud of the way the team performed and it gives us confidence moving forward."Â
"Within the first 200m we had won the mental advantage of this race," Giovanna Cosiglio said. "We were unstoppable in the middle thousand and showed our perseverance in claiming bowball. We have things to work on, yes, but we won just how we needed to today. Excited for whats to come."
Despite a close race, the Varsity Eight boat came up just short against WSU with a second-place finish time of 6:37.28, just behind the Cougar's finish of 6:33.24. With a strong finish in the first 1,000 meters, Gonzaga held on to the lead until Washington State made a last second push to take the win.Â
Gonzaga's fourth varsity eight boat finished in a time of 7:37.70 ahead of the Cougar's time of 7:54.00. The Zags made a strong finish at the end of the race as they led WSU by about three boat length's to win the race.
In the third varsity eight boat race, the Zags won with a time of 7:03.98 and had a solid lead over WSU who finished in 7:19.17. The Bulldogs made a big push at the 1,000 meter mark to push ahead their lead.
In the 1V4 race, the Bulldogs held onto the lead for the whole race to finish with a dominant time of 7:36.62 over WSU's time of 7:55.59.  After 1,000 meters Gonzaga held a one boat's length lead over the Cougars, but stretched to a two boat's lengths lead with roughly 500 meters to go to secure the win.Â
"I think our boat did a great job committing to the first 400m and taking control of the race early,"
Annika Morallos said. "Not only that but continuing to extend margins and take seats was something I was extremely proud of."
The 2V4 boat also won their race as the crew finished in 7:53.0, ahead of WSU's 8:04.74 time. Despite a late push by WSU, Gonzaga held onto its lead as it took control around the 1,000 meter mark.Â
The Zags continue competition next weekend at the Dexter Lake Invite in Eugene, Oregon. Gonzaga races against Oklahoma, Oregon State, USC and LMU.
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