INDIANAPOLIS – Fourteenth-ranked Washington State University rowing has been selected by the NCAA Division I Women's Rowing Committee to compete at the 2017 NCAA Division I Rowing Championships held May 26-28 at Mercer Lake at West Windsor, N.J. and hosted by the Ivy League and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, the NCAA announced Tuesday afternoon. 

WSU will make its 11th overall NCAA Championships team appearance, its fifth-straight and its seventh in eight years, after notching its third-straight top-four finish at the Pac-12 Championships, May 14 at Lake Natoma near Sacramento, Calif. This season marks the first time the NCAA Rowing Championships will be held at West Windsor, N.J., since 2012, and just the second time all-time that WSU will compete in the NCAA Championships at that site. The last time WSU took to the water for the NCAAs at New Jersey, was 2006 when the Cougars placed fourth, its best finish in school history.
WSU's senior class becomes the second in school history to compete at four NCAA Championships, while the five-straight marks the most-consecutive NCAA Championship appearances for the Cougars. 

With a change made prior to the 2013 season, the team championships are composed of 22 teams. Eleven conferences were awarded automatic qualification and the remaining 11 slots were filled with at-large selections to complete the championship field. Washington represents the Pac-12 as the league's automatic qualifier, while three other teams, California, Stanford and Washington State were chosen from the conference as at-large selections. Just four conferences had multiple teams receive bids, as the Pac-12 had the second-most bids. The Big Ten had the most with five, (Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin), the Ivy League three (Brown, Princeton, and Yale) and the ACC three (Virginia and Syracuse and Notre Dame).

Washington State is seeded 10th in the varsity eight, 16th in the second varsity eight and 12th in the varsity four. 

The Cougars have reached the NCAA Championships as a team 10 prior times and once as a varsity eight boat. Its best finish came in 2006 as WSU placed fourth, led by a fourth-place finish from the varsity eight. WSU finished 12th as at team last year in 2016 and matched its second-best finish the prior year, placing eighth at the 2015 NCAA Championships. The Cougars were 14th in both 2014 and 2013, 12th in 2011, 13th in 2010, eighth in 2008, fourth in 2006, ninth in 2004 and 12th in 2003. The varsity eight placed 13th in 2002. The Cougars' best individual boat finish came in 2004 when the second varsity eight took third. 

Teams qualifying for the championships as automatic qualifiers or as an at-large are required to field two boats of eight rowers and one boat of four rowers. For the varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four teams, all 22 boats will be seeded into four heats.

For championship information and results, go to the NCAA Web site at www.ncaa.com.

2017 NCAA Rowing Championship Automatic Qualifying Teams
Washington, Pac-12
UCF, American Athletic Conference
Gonzaga, West Coast Conference
Jacksonville, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Massachusetts, Atlantic 10 Conference
Navy, Patriot League 
Northeastern, Colonial Athletic Association
Ohio State, Big Ten Conference
Princeton, Ivy League
Texas, Big 12 Conference
Virginia, Atlantic Coast Conference 


2017 NCAA Rowing Championship At-Large Selections
Brown
California
Indiana 
Iowa
Michigan
Notre Dame
Stanford
Syracuse
Washington State
Wisconsin
Yale