LAKE NATOMA, Calif. – Gonzaga claimed its 20th overall West Coast Conference Rowing Championship and seventh consecutive Saturday after sweeping all four races at Lake Natoma. With the win, the Bulldogs secured the automatic berth to the 2022 NCAA Rowing Championship.
Gonzaga opened the counting races with a convincing win in the varsity four, topping second-place Creighton by nearly 16 seconds. The second varsity eight race featured a near six-second victory by the Zags, but the battle for second place was a photo finish betwen LMU and San Diego with the Lions edging the Toreros by four-tenths of a second to claim runner-up in the race. The final race of the day was all Gonzaga once again in the varsity eight as the Bulldogs crossed the line at 6:47.3, well in front of the Blue Jays at 6:53.5. San Diego finished third in the varsity eight (6:55.8).
The Bulldogs finished with 42 points, Creighton had 32 points, followed closely by San Diego with 30 points. LMU was fourth (27 points) while Portland was fifth (19 points).
Santa Clara could not field complete teams in all counting races and did not place in the overall team score this year.
The field for the 2022 NCAA Rowing National Championship will be revealed on Tuesday. The NCAA Championship will be held May 27-29 at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida.
FINAL 2022 WCC CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
| 1. |
Gonzaga |
42 points |
| 2. |
Creighton |
32 points |
| 3. |
San Diego |
30 points |
| 4. |
LMU |
27 points |
| 5. |
Portland |
19 points |
| 6. |
Saint Mary's |
12 points |
| -- |
Santa Clara |
0 points |
WCC CHAMPIONSHIP – WINNING BOAT LINEUPS
Gonzaga Varsity 8
Cox: Sailor Hawes
Cassidy Parr
Grace Dojan
Megan Chalfant
Hannah Cooney
Katie Sierhuis
Camille Ruhlin-Hicks
Stephanie Westlund
Olivia Feistner
Gonzaga Second Varsity 8
Cox: Clare Bretschneider
Mollie Monson
Perrine Sarraute
Abigail Gagnon
Grace Cahalane
Grace Nickas
Kaley Grau
Ella Beck
Quinn Elsenbast
Gonzaga Varsity 4
Cox: Kate Millett
Serena Foster
Lucy Salmick
Maddie Sontag
Sydney Bohn
Gonzaga Second Varsity 4
Cox: Maren Marshall
Colleen Weber
Tatum Heyl
Kailee Jackson
Sam Claborn
WCC ROWING MAJOR INDIVIDUAL HONORS
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR:
Katie Sierhuis, Gonzaga
2021 COXSWAIN OF THE YEAR
Sailor Hawes, Gonzaga
COACH OF THE YEAR
Daniel Chipps, Creighton
CO-ROWERS OF THE YEAR:
Megan Chalfant, Gonzaga
Gretchen Strobbe, Creighton
2022 ROWING WCC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
CREIGHTON: Gretchen Strobbe, Destiny Jordan, Karen Crouch
GONZAGA: Megan Chalfant, Grace Dojan, Hannah Cooney, Katie Sierhuis
LMU: Lauren Compeau, Georgia Guinan
PORTLAND: Catherine Watson, Maddie Olson
SAINT MARY’S: Katrina Heffernan, Emily Ferbet
SAN DIEGO: Isla Blake, Caitlin Burns
SANTA CLARA: Sophie Wink, Grace Wyatt