Young rowers help Western women clinch fifth-straight national championship
By WWU Athletics
Inexperience didn’t stop them.
Despite half the rowers in their two shells being freshmen, the Vikings claimed their fifth consecutive national title, winning the 2009 NCAA Division II championship May 31 on the Cooper River in New Jersey.
It is the first time that a team in any NCAA rowing division has won five straight titles since the NCAA began a rowing championship in 1997.
“For them to actually pull it off is pretty amazing,” said Western coach John Fuchs. “And they did it against other crews that had nearly all upperclassmen. They’re just an amazing group.”
The Vikings’ eight, which completed a perfect season with 10 wins in 10 races, won its 2,000-meter grand final in a time of 6:52.60, over a boat-length ahead of Mercyhurst College. Seattle Pacific University was third and Philadelphia University fourth.
“This is the first year that we’ve been undefeated,” Fuchs said. “It was just a very special year.”
