While the rowing teams placed well in the heats, they didn’t do as well in the grand finals.

From staff reports The WSU rowing teams competed at the Pac-10 Championships in Sacramento, Calif., this weekend, with both the men’s and women’s teams finishing in sixth place, earning 26 and 37.5 points, respectively.

Three of the four Cougar women’s crews advanced to the grand finals on Sunday.

The varsity eight crew placed sixth in the grand finals with a time of 6 minutes and 42.5 seconds after entering the grand finals with the sixth-best time during the morning preliminary heats. The second varsity eight team had the third-best time in the morning heats but came away with sixth place in 6:49.2. The novice eight crew placed fourth in the grand finals with a time of 6:58.4.

“We had really good performances in the heats, but we struggled in the finals,” women’s rowing Head Coach Jane LaRiviere said.

The varsity four crew did not race in the grand finals, but won the petite final with a time of 7:32.0.

“There was really good competition out there and we didn’t rise up to the competition,” LaRiviere said. “It didn’t help that it was 105 degrees, but it was 105 degrees for everyone ... We’ve got to get stronger and fitter for next year.” Three of the Cougar men’s teams also advanced to the grand finals. The varsity eight crew placed seventh with a time of 6:20.5 while the second varsity eight crew placed fifth with a time of 6:45.8 in their respective races. The novice eight crew placed fourth in their race, clocking in at 6:03.9.

Men’s Crew Head Coach Arthur Ericsson said the highlight of the Pac-10 Championships was the success of the novice eight crew.

“For a club team to beat strong varsity programs is very exciting,” Ericsson said. “Everyone could see the potential of the novice eight. In the spring alone they reached more of their potential each race.” The novice eight is comprised of nine walk-on students who have never rowed before.

“They are developing so rapidly that their potential is hard to predict,” Ericsson said. “There are hopes that that will carry over to varsity next year. We only lost two seniors, so this cycle is more favorable for returning oarsmen.” The novice eight crew, along with the varsity lightweight four crew, is headed to the American Collegiate Rowing Association Club Nationals May 23 and 24 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. To send the team to nationals, the cost per member was about $850.

“They have been doing a lot of extra fundraisers because they really want to be there,” Ericsson said. “It seemed to take a toll on their energy levels but hopefully it did not affect their race performance or that of their studies.”