Cougars Travel to Oregon State Classic for Winchell Cup, Pac-12 Competition

Saturday, April 8

Lowell, Ore.

9:00 AM

Washington State University

Oregon State Classic

Cougars Travel to Oregon State Classic for Winchell Cup, Pac-12 Competition

April 05, 2017 | Rowing

Oregon State Classic Release Oregon State Classic Release

WSU will race in a morning session against OSU and afternoon session versus OSU, No. 1 Washington, and UCLA.

By: WSU Athletics

WSU Rowing Travels to Oregon State Classic for Pac-12 Competition: No. 15 Washington State rowing will face its first Pac-12-only competition of the season, on the road at the Oregon State Classic, on Dexter Lake at Lowell, Ore....racing is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. with WSU and Oregon State's annual dual for the Winchell Cup…the varsity eights will race for the Crawford Perpetual Plate....at the same time, UCLA and No. 1 Washington will also compete in a morning dual...there will be an afternoon session with No. 15 WSU, No. 1 UW, OSU, and UCLA racing four across…that session starts at 1 p.m...Oregon's club team will also participate in the second varsity four and third varsity eight/novice races of the afternoon session.

Second Time Against the Bruins: WSU is competing against OSU and top-ranked UW for the first time this year, but is meeting UCLA for a second-straight weekend...at the San Diego Crew Classic, WSU faced UCLA in three of the Cougars' four Grand Final races...the Cougar varsity eight out-paced the Bruins by nearly eight seconds in the race for the Jessop-Whittier Cup...WSU placed fourth and UCLA was sixth...WSU's second varsity eight was 10 seconds faster than UCLA in the race for the Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Memorial Trophy...the Cougars placed third, while UCLA was sixth...in the Karen Plumleigh Cortney Cup, featuring varsity fours, UCLA crossed four seconds faster than WSU...the Bruins took fourth, and the Cougars fifth.

The Oregon State Classic: WSU and OSU meet in the morning to dual for the Winchell Cup and the varsity eights will race for the Crawford Perpetual Plate…all races will be on a 2,000-meter course at Dexter Lake...racing begins at 9 a.m….crews from WSU, UW, OSU, and UCLA will race four across in the 1 p.m. afternoon session.

Last Season versus Oregon State: WSU hosted OSU at Wawawai Landing on the Snake River for the annual battle for the Winchell Cup and varsity eight race for the Crawford Perpetual Plate...the Cougars swept all races...WSU claimed its seventh-consecutive Winchell Cup and second-straight Crawford Perpetual Plate...the varsity eight race was close, with the Cougars fending off a late Beaver push through the final 500 meters...WSU crossed four seconds ahead of OSU...the second varsity eight gained an open-water advantage over OSU early in the race, and held on to win by 5 seconds...the varsity four gained its open-water lead around the 1,000-meter mark and pulled away to win by 12 seconds...in a second varsity four heat, two WSU fours defeated OSU's second varsity four...the WSU third varsity eight 'A' out-raced the field to end the day, defeating OSU's third varsity eight and the WSU 'B' boat...UCLA and UW were not a part of the dual regatta.

WSU Head Coach Jane LaRiviere On Importance of The Winchell Cup and Crawford Plate: "It's meaningful, as Jodi Winchell and Tammy Crawford were two people who built the program from scratch. It's our small way of honoring them, by just retaining the cup. Everybody gets pretty keyed up, and I don't think I'll have to ask them to go hard."

WSU Head Coach Jane LaRiviere On The Afternoon Session: "This weekend we'll be able to see two more Pac-12 contenders. Washington is ranked No. 1 in the country right now, and I'm looking forward to seeing how we stack up against the best of the best."

Cougars Ranked 15th in USRowing/CRCA Preseason Poll: WSU is ranked 15th in the nation in this week's USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Division I Coaches Poll presented by Pocock Racing Shells, released April 5... Washington State's No. 15 ranking keeps it in the nation's top-15 for a 22nd-consecutive week dating back to March 25, 2015...overall, WSU is ranked in the top-20 for the 90th-consecutive week, dating back to June 11, 2008...five of the seven Pac-12's women's rowing teams are ranked in the top-20 poll: Washington-first, California-second, Stanford-sixth, USC-12th, and WSU-15th…UCLA is receiving votes.

Coaching Staff: Jane LaRiviere is in her 15th year as head coach of the WSU women's rowing program...as a team, the Cougars have raced in 10 NCAA Championships under LaRiviere...she is joined by associate head coach Josh Adam, assistant/novice coach Karl Huhta and assistant coach Liz England...Adam is in his seventh year after coaching his prior two years at Indiana...Huhta is in his third year with the Cougars and second as the novice coach...England is entering her first season, after rowing for LaRiviere from 2010-12.

Next for the Cougars: The Cougars will train at home next weekend, before embarking for the East Coast and the Clemson Invite on Lake Hartwell, at Clemson, S.C...the two-day event will be Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23.