CLEMSON, S.C. – No. 14 Washington State rowing raced closely with No. 4 Ohio State in many of Sunday's final heats at the Clemson Invitational, under near-perfect conditions at Lake Hartwell.
“This was a solid weekend for us,” said Washington State rowing head coach Jane LaRiviere. “We raced hard, made a mistake or two here and there, but we learned from them. The Clemson Invite is a big, well run event and seems to get better every year. Our thanks to Clemson rowing for hosting. We are looking forward to a weekend at home and then hosting Oregon State April 30.”
Washington State's varsity eight (coxswain- Rebecca Burns, stroke- Emily Thomson, Mihaela-Teodora Berindei, Jess Brougham, Morgan Cathrea, Savannah Davison, Lucie Weissova, Jordan Watson, bow- Kim Coon) competed closely with No. 4 Ohio State, which highlighted the seven-team field. No. 4 Ohio State jumped out to an early lead. The Cougars battled with No. 17 Harvard in a race for second place. The Cougars increased their lead on No. 17 Harvard at the 1,000-meter mark and finished second in 6:41.8, almost four seconds ahead of No. 17 Harvard, which crossed the line at 6:45.1. No. 4 Ohio State crossed the finish line in 6:34.7. San Diego finished in fourth place with a time of 6:49.5, followed by No. 20 Louisville (6:50.4), Central Florida (6:57.0) and Cornell (7:03.9).
The Cougars showcased their skill against some of the nation's best once again in the first heat of second varsity eight racing. WSU (coxswain- Jenna Mangiagli, stroke- Emily Morrow, Taija Thompson, Chloe Rogers, Sarah Steger, Jessi Howe, Isabella Watt, Jessica Newson, bow- Lori VerMurlen) found itself in another compelling race with No. 4 Ohio State. The Buckeyes pulled away from Washington State at the 750-meter mark, holding off the Cougars the remainder of the contest. The Cougars completed the race in 6:53.0, a little more than eight seconds back of the Buckeyes at 6:44.8. WSU outlasted No. 20 Louisville, which came in third with a time of 7:00.7, seven seconds back of Washington State. No. 17 Harvard finished in fourth crossing in 7:01.7, followed by San Diego (7:04.3), Cornell (7:10.4) and Central Florida (7:24.5).
The Cougar third varsity eight completed WSU's day of racing. WSU (coxswain- Taylor Brown, stroke- Jenna Kennedy, Katrina Tarrant, Jill Hannink, Megan Lee, Grace Arnis, Miranda Armstrong, Colleen Gibbons, bow- Tammy Hilgendorf) settled into third place behind No. 8 Texas and No. 20 Louisville. No. 8 Texas crossed the line first with a time of 6:41.5, while No. 20 Louisville came in second with a time of 6:47.5. The Cougars crossed the finish line in 6:51.8, seven seconds ahead of No. 10 Michigan, which recorded a time of 6:58.8. Clemson followed with a time of 7:01.2, followed by No. 13 Indiana (7:06.6).
WSU's varsity four (coxswain- Ellie Burg, Codi Swenson, Kotryna Lasaite, Paige Danielson bow- Brittany Brooks) was in another highly competitive battle in its final heat of the weekend. The Cougars ended up in a close race with Syracuse and Louisville for third place. Washington State was narrowly defeated by No. 20 Louisville and San Diego, finishing in 7:43.2, just one second behind San Diego and two seconds behind No. 20 Louisville. No. 4 Ohio State won the race with a time of 7:36.5, while No. 17 Harvard crossed on 7:37.0. Cornell finished 14 seconds behind the Cougars with a time of 7:57.2, followed by Central Florida who crossed in 8:08.2.
The Cougars have next week off before hosting Oregon State, Saturday, April 30, at Wawawai Landing. It will mark Washington State's final race before the Pac-12 Championships.
2016 Clemson Invitational
Sunday, April 17 | 5:30 a.m. PT/8:30 a.m. ET | Lake Hartwell (Clemson, S.C.)
Final Session Results
Sunday, April 17 | 5:30 a.m. PT/8:30 a.m. ET | Lake Hartwell (Clemson, S.C.)
Final Session Results
Women's Varsity Eight (Heat 1)
1. Ohio State, 6:34.7
2. Washington State, 6:41.8
3. Harvard, 6:45.1
4. San Diego, 6:49.5
5. Louisville, 6:50.4
6. Central Florida, 6:57.0
7. Cornell, 7:03.9
WSU Varsity Eight Lineup
coxswain-Rebecca Burns
stroke-Emily Thomson
7-Mihaela-Teodora Berindei
6-Jess Brougham
5-Morgan Cathrea
4-Savannah Davison
3-Lucie Weissova
2-Jordan Watson
bow-Kim Coon
Women's Second Varsity Eight (Heat 1)
1. Ohio State, 6:44.8
2. Washington State, 6:53.0
3. Louisville, 7:00.7
4. Harvard, 7:01.7
5. San Diego, 7:04.3
6. Cornell, 7:10.4
7. Central Florida, 7:24.5
WSU Second Varsity Eight Lineup
coxswain-Jenna Mangiagli
stroke-Emily Morrow
7-Taija Thompson
6-Chloe Rogers
5-Sarah Steger
4-Jessi Howe
3-Isabella Watt
2-Jessica Newson
bow-Lori VerMurlen
Women's Varsity Four (Heat 1)
1. Ohio State, 7:36.5
2. Harvard, 7:37.0
3. Louisville, 7:41.8
4. San Diego, 7:42.1
5. Washington State, 7:43.2
6. Cornell, 7:57.2
7. Central Florida, 8:08.2
WSU Varsity Four Lineup
coxswain-Ellie Burg
4-Codi Swenson
3-Kotryna Lasaite
2-Paige Danielson
bow-Brittany Brooks
Women's Third Varsity Eight (Heat 1)
1. Texas, 6:41.5
2. Louisville, 6:47.5
3. Washington State, 6:51.8
4. Michigan, 6:58.8
5. Clemson, 7:01.2
6. Indiana, 7:06.6
WSU Third Varsity Eight Lineup
coxswain-Taylor Brown
stroke-Jenna Kennedy
7-Katrina Tarrant
6-Jill Hannink
5-Megan Lee
4-Grace Arnis
3-Miranda Armstrong
2-Colleen Gibbons
bow-Tammy Hilgendorf