By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director
SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University women's rowing team started the spring season with a competitive series of races at the Haag Lake Regatta on Saturday (March 19). Head Coach Reba Knickerbocker hopes the regatta begins a series of quality rows for the Bearcats.
"I feel comfortable saying that I think this is the most competitive we've been since I started coaching here (in the fall of 2013)," Knickerbocker said. "It's not the type of competitive where you win everything, but more of an attitude of competitiveness and confidence that I haven't seen from previous crews here up to this point. It's a glimpse of good things to come."
On Saturday, the Willamette women's varsity 8+ defeated Pacific University and lost to Pacific Lutheran University in head-to-head races. The women's second varsity 8+ from WU lost to Pacific Lutheran and Lewis & Clark. The W2V8+ crew, which featured only novices, also rowed in the women's novice 8+ and defeated the University of Oregon club team. Willamette lost to Lewis & Clark in the women's varsity 4+.
Conditions during the regatta were calm with a slight tailwind. The temperature was in the low 60s. The sky was overcast in the morning, but became partly cloudy in the afternoon.
The WV8+ for Willamette won its race with Pacific by plenty of open water, as the Bearcats finished 47.21 seconds in front of the Boxers. PLU won the second race by 32.81 with a lower rate and longer strokes.
Willamette's WV4+ performed well against L&C, with the crews changing leads early in the race. Lewis & Clark eventually gained an edge and won by 11.83 seconds.
In the second varsity races (W2V8+), Willamette fell to Pacific Lutheran by 18.51 seconds and to Lewis & Clark by 5.12 seconds. L&C did not pull away until the final 500 meters.
The Bearcats defeated the Oregon club in the WN8+ by 49.35 seconds, leaving significant open water between the boats.
"I'm very pleased with the way the novices raced against the 2V's of other teams," Willamette Assistant Coach Alyssa Dewey said. "They were poised and made excellent changes over the course of the day. Special recognition goes to Laura Polkinghorn (Fr., Camino, CA/El Dorado HS), the novice coxswain, for increasing her coxing skills through every race."
Overall, Knickerbocker was pleased with the early season results.
"Our performance in general was excellent considering that about 66% of the team is comprised of student-athletes who are first-year rowers," Knickerbocker said. "There is a huge amount of potential yet to be tapped by these rowers and coxswains."
