The WWU Rowing program will be competing in its 18th NCAA Rowing Championships this weekend. PHOTO: WWU Athletics
WWU Races at Rowing National Championships in Indianapolis
May 30, 2019
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women’s rowing program has made its annual trek to the NCAA Rowing Championships and will compete for the Division II national title beginning Friday morning in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Head coach John Fuchs is in his 21st year leading the program and has led the Vikings to the NCAA Rowing Championships 18 times over the last 19 seasons. WWU is one of six NCAA Division II programs that will compete for the 2019 national championship at the Indianapolis Rowing Center at Eagle Creek Park. Racing begins Friday morning with the heats, continues Saturday with the repechage and concludes Sunday with the finals.
WWU is ranked No. 4 nationally in the Division II USRowing/CRCA Coaches Poll and is one of four West Region teams selected to the six-team field, joining Central Oklahoma, UC San Diego and Seattle Pacific. Jefferson will represent East region and Florida Tech was the top seed out of the South region.
Racing at the NCAA Championships is set to begin on Friday (May 31) with the Division II heats in the eights and fours scheduled to begin at 11:24 am ET/8:24 am PT. Each of the six teams selected to the championships will race an eight and four-oared boat, a new format for the 2019 Division II Rowing Championships. The Vikings will race out of lane 2 in the second heat of the eights at 11:24 am ET/8:24 am PT and the first heat of the fours in lane 4 at 11:48 am ET/8:48 am PT.
WWU was the national runner-up in 2018 and won the program’s eighth national title in 2017. The Vikings won seven consecutive national championships from 2005-2011. WWU has taken home the gold (8 times) or silver (4 times) medal 12 times in the 17 years the NCAA Division II team title has been awarded dating back to 2002. During the 17 years of the NCAA Division II Rowing Championships, the fours have won nine individual titles (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2018) and the eights have six titles (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011).
More information on the NCAA Rowing Championships, which includes the Division I, II and III races, can be found online via atIndianaSportsCorp.org. The 2019 NCAA Rowing Championships is hosted by Indiana University, in conjunction with Indiana Sports Corp and the Indianapolis Rowing Center. The 2019 NCAA Rowing Championships will stream online at NCAA.com.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2019 NCAA Rowing Championships features teams competing for the NCAA I, II and III national championships this weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana. All three days of the regatta will stream live on NCAA.com and feature live timing updates. Here are some handy links on how to follow the Vikings at the NCAA Rowing Championships:
-- #RowViks --
Courtesy of www.WWUVikings.com
posted by Doug Lange Bellingham
