WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK:  
Seventeenth-ranked Washington State University women's rowing will make its 13th overall, sixth-straight and eighth NCAA Championships appearance in nine years as it heads to Nathan Benderson Park at Sarasota, Fla., May 25-27, for the 2018 NCAA Rowing Championships...the University of Central Florida (UCF) will serve as host for the event...Division I racing begins at 9 a.m., Friday with the varsity eight heats...please see page two of today's notes for the complete schedule.

THE FIELD: 
WSU will compete against 21 other NCAA Division I teams, including four other Pac-12 squads...WSU's varsity eight has defeated four of the 21 other varsity eights that will compete for the national championship: Navy, Northeastern UCF and Gonzaga...as a team, the Cougars have also competed against nine other NCAA participants; Texas, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Indiana, Syracuse, Washington, California, USC  and Stanford, as all nine of them are ranked in the top-15 in the nation...this season marks the sixth with an expanded field of 22 teams...eleven teams earned automatic bids, while the other 11 (including Washington State) were at-large selections...the Cougars' varsity eight is seeded 15th, the second varsity eight 15th and the varsity four 12th. 

EXPERIENCE AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: 
The Cougars' NCAA roster features 15 student-athletes with experience at the NCAA Championships, including seven with experience at last two championships...eight of the nine members of the varsity eight have participated in past NCAA Championships…senior coxswain Jenna Mangiagli (second varsity eight, 2015 & 2016; varsity eight, 2017) and her classmates Emily Morrow (second  varsity eight, 2015 & 2016; varsity eight, 2017) and Lucie Weissova (varsity eight, 2015, 2016 & 2017) are each making their fourth-straight appearance at the national championships, while junior Paige Danielson is making her third after rowing in the varsity four in 2016 and varsity eight in 2017...senior transfer Kristel Tohu along with sophomores Kamila Ondrackova and Ivy Elling Quaintance are each making their second appearance after rowing in the varsity eight, varsity four and second varsity eight boats, respectively, in 2017…junior Jess Brougham is making her second appearance after rowing with the varsity eight as a freshman in 2016…four of the nine members of the second varsity eight crew have experience at the NCAA Championships, including two with two years of experience in seniors Emily Thomson (second varsity eight, 2017; varsity eight, 2016) and Ellie Burg (varsity four, 2016; second varsity eight, 2017)...the rest with NCAA experience includes junior Taija Thompson (second varsity eight, 2017) and Rosalina Torcivia (varsity four, 2017)…two members of the varsity four crew have NCAA experience, senior Jenna Kennedy traveled to the 2016 NCAA Championships as a spare and was a member of the second varsity eight in 2017, while sophomore Renee Kemp was a also a part of the second varsity eight in 2017...one of the spares, sophomore Sue Yu rowed with the varsity four at last year's NCAA Championships (2017).

2018 PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS: 
Then-No. 15 Washington State finished fifth as a team at the 2018 Pac-12 Championships, just one point behind fourth-place USC...it placed ahead of its seed in the varsity four and novice eight races, finishing fourth and third respectively, while it matched its seeds in the varsity eight (fifth), second varsity eight (fifth) and third varsity eight (fourth) races...for the second-straight season, No. 1 Washington swept all four scoring events to capture the Pac-12 title with 45.5 points, just its second title since 2003...second-ranked California placed second for the second-straight year with 36 points, just edging out No. 5 Stanford with 35.5 points. No. 12 USC finished just one point ahead of No. 15 WSU with 22 for fourth, as the Cougars placed fifth with 21 points, ahead of UCLA in sixth (11.5 points) and Oregon State in seventh (10 points). 

PREVIOUSLY AT THE NCAAS: 
The Cougars are making their 12th trip as a team to the NCAA Championships, their sixth-straight and eighth in nine years...they have reached the NCAA Championships as a team 11 prior times and once as a varsity eight boat...WSU's best finish came in 2006 as it placed fourth, led by a fourth-place finish from the varsity eight...last season the Cougars placed 14th as a team, following a 12th-place finish in 2016...WSU matched its second-best finish in 2015, 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.

COACHING STAFF: 
Jane LaRiviere is in her 16th year as head coach of the WSU rowing program...as a team, the Cougars have raced in 12 NCAA Championships and six-straight under LaRiviere...she is joined by associate head coach Karl Huhta, assistant/novice coach Brandon Campbell, coordinator of operations Amy Van Buskirk, and graduate assistant Dave Kempsell...Huhta is in his fourth year with the Cougars, and first year as associate head coach…Campbell is in his third year and first as novice coach…Van Buskirk and Kempsell are each in their first year with the Cougars.

PAC-12 HIGHLY RANKED: 
WSU is currently ranked 17th in the nation in the USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Division I Poll presented by Pocock Racing Shells...Washington State's No. 17 ranking keeps it in the nation's top-20 for a 106th-consecutive week, dating back to June 11, 2008...five Pac-12 women's rowing teams are ranked in the top-20 poll, including three in the top-5: Washington-first, California-second, Stanford-fifth, USC-13th and WSU-17th...UCLA (4) and Oregon State (4) are both receiving votes.