The Western Washington University women’s rowing team claimed its ninth national title last weekend on Harsha Lake in Bethel, Ohio, in an incredibly competitive six-team Division II regatta.
“We’re riding pretty high right now,” Head Coach John Fuchs said after the race. “I’d say it was pretty euphoric for them.”
Over the first weekend of June, the Vikings entered the NCAA DII championship regatta at East Fork State Park in Ohio as the top-ranked team in the six-school competition, having won its second Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships on May 18.
The Vikings dominated the varsity eight boat race and claimed the petite final in the fours, picking up 22 points overall and beating 2022 national champion Mercyhurst by just one point in the final standings. Fuchs said that the weekend couldn’t have worked out any better.
“We had a lot of obstacles we needed to cross, and we needed some luck, needed some things to happen Saturday to help us,” he said. “The odds were slim, and it happened. It was complete pandemonium at the end, it was so exciting and emotional.”
The top four teams were separated by only four points, which made the final standings the closest in the event’s history. Fuchs, who has led the team for 26 years, assisted by longtime coach (and championship-winning program alum) Courtney Moeller, said that it could’ve been anyone’s national championship on June 1.
“We’ve had years where we knew we’d win by mid-season,” Fuchs said. “That’s fun too, knowing you have the best team hands-down. But it’s a real blast racing at the top level when all the teams are so close.”
This year marked the 20th time in program history that the women’s rowing team advanced to the NCAA Rowing Championships. The team won seven consecutive first-place trophies from 2005-2011 and took the title again in 2017.
WWU is only graduating four rowers this year and the entire varsity eight crew will be returning, which could mean another shot at the title next season, although Fuchs expects a similarly competitive playing field as most of their opponents will also have strong returning teams.
The NCAA team championship was WWU’s first since the women’s soccer team won the 2022 national title in Seattle, although last month the softball team had a historic run at the World Series in Florida and earned national runner-up honors. On the club side, both the men’s and women’s rugby teams both won their first national titles in May.
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
