Gonzaga Varsity 8 tops Three Pac 12 Opponents

Saturday, April 27

Lovell, OR

9 a.m.

Gonzaga University

Dexter Lake Invite

4/27/2024 3:32:00 PM | Women's Rowing

The Varsity 8 finished first over five boats

LOWELL, Ore. – The Gonzaga women's rowing team had a successful race against ranked opponents at the Dexter Lake Invite, which was hosted by Oregon State.

"This was a great day for the Zags," head coach Andrew Derrick said. "Not everything went perfectly, and we had some challenges, but ultimately the team did a great job overcoming them to show up ready to go fast and they did just that! Really proud of all the boats and the consistent progress they are making."

In the varsity eight race, the Zags finished first with a time of 6:29.50 over (RV) UCLA, #17 Oregon State, (RV) USC, Oklahoma and LMU.

In the race, it was a good start to take the lead of the field by the 500m mark and then a very consistent race through the next 1000m with a couple effective moves on UCLA to gain a few seats at a time. The boat adjusted the rate up in last 500 to hold off a charge from the field and responded well to move back out on some crews, just before the finish line.

"We took advantage of the opportunity here and did a great job on building on parts of the race we were disappointed with last week vs Washington State," Ella Beck said.

In the 2V8, the Bulldogs placed third with a time of 6:41.94 as USC took first in 6:37.9. GU had a really solid race with an even better last third of it. Overall, it was a good confidence builder for a reshuffled lineup going into WCC Championships.

In the 1V4 boat, GU placed third with a time of 7:29.59 while Oregon State took first with a time of 7:25.34. The 2V4 crew also had a successful race with a second-place finish of 7:32.45.

"They continue to push hard," Derrick added. "Our fours group has a ton of depth and parity, and the result is they are challenging each other every day no matter who is in which lineup. Very proud of this group and the willingness they have shown to sit wherever is best for the team and make that boat go fast!"

In the final race, the IV Eight boat encountered some equipment failure as they hit some driftwood. The boat started the race ahead in the lead pack with UCLA and USC in the first 300m. They had made their first move and took two seats over USC and needed 4 more seats on UCLA to take the lead. But they then encountered driftwood that resulted in equipment damage, and they were unable to complete the race.

Up Next: The 4V8 boats will compete at the Windermere Cup on May 4. The rest of the crews will compete next at the WCC Championships on May 18 at Lake Natoma.

1V8+ results:
1 - Gonzaga (6:29.50)
2 - UCLA (6:31.14)
3 - Oregon State (6:32.66)
4 - USC (6:33.31)
5 - Oklahoma (6:42.34)
6 - LMU (6:47.38)

1V4+ results:
1 - Oregon State (7:25.34)
2 - UCLA (7:27.37)
3 - Gonzaga (7:29.59)
4 - USC (7:32.89)
5 - Oklahoma (7:38.38)
6 - LMU (8:03.29)

2V8+ results:
1 - USC (6:37.9)
2 - UCLA (6:41.19)
3 - Gonzaga (6:41.94)
4 - Oregon State (6:43.41)
5 - Oklahoma (6:47.75)
6 - LMU (7:11.83)

2V4+ results:
1 - Oregon State (7:26.7)
2 - Gonzaga (7:31.45)
3 - UCLA (7:38.83)
4 - Oklahoma (7:43.03)
5 - Oklahoma B (7:53.00)

Lineups

I Eight		II Eight		I Four		I Four		IV Eight
c	Lula Macey	c	Giovanna Consiglio	c	Annika Morallos	c	Ava Beekman	c	Kaitlyn Ramirez
8	Ella Beck	8	Marjane Rivat	4	Grace Hare	4	Samantha Claborn	8	Morgan Stone
7	Amanda Triebensee	7	Katherine Stenning	3	Katie Hill	3	Lily Spillane	7	Violet Climer-Kennedy
6	Camille Ruhlin-Hicks	6	Quinn Elsenbast	2	Mollie Monson	2	Isabella Loh	6	Margot Davis
5	Isabella Barstow	5	Leah Manzo-McCottry	Bow	Maria Inés Marquez	Bow	Lillian Rickett	5	Samantha Sabin
4	Hannah Cooney	4	Madison Reed					4	Gabriella Bolt
3	Molly Hess	3	Erin Monfredini					3	Devyn Hubbs
2	Edie Benson	2	Cassidy Parr					2	Serena Foster
Bow	Katie Sierhuis	Bow	Olivia Feistner					Bow	Lucy Coyle