Area roundup: UW men sweep 3 of 4 rowing finals, win IRA title
A split second and about 2 feet abruptly ended Washington’s two-week quest to sweep the men’s and women’s collegiate rowing championships Sunday.
The Huskies won their first three grand finals on the concluding day of three-day IRA National Rowing Championships, but Yale held off a late Washington surge to claim the men’s varsity eights title in 5 minutes and 29.900 seconds on Lake Natoma in California.
The top-rated Huskies, rowing in lane 2, finished in 5:29.969. It took an extended wait before officials reviewed film and determined the slim finishing distance. Harvard edged Princeton by .023 seconds to place third in 5:33.455.
Washington’s women swept the NCAA championships last weekend in New Jersey.
With its victories and runner-up finish, Washington won the team title for its 10th points championship 11 years, last year being the exception. Yale was second and Harvard third.
Washington began the midmorning grand finals with a start-to-finish win in the varsity four. Rowing in lane 1, Washington steadily expanded its advantage over California, winning by nearly five seconds in 6:23.811. California was second in 6:28.354, followed by Brown in 6:34.310.
Ninety minutes later, after a series of petite finals and a midmorning break, Washington claimed its second event, winning the third varsity eight by more than two seconds over Harvard in 5:47.289.
Washington’s third win of the day came in the second varsity eight. The Huskies finished with more than a two-second margin in 5:38.654. California was second in 5:40.720 and Princeton was third in 5:40.777.
Gonzaga’s varsity four crew defeated Drexel in the fourth-level final, finishing in 6:48.747, two seconds ahead of Drexel.
Soccer
Marissa Mykines had a hat trick and Meaghan Bare scored Spokane’s first two goals as the Shadow women defeated NWC Alliance 8-1 in Wenatchee to move into a first-place tie in the Northwest Premier League.
The Shadow (5-0-0), with 15 points, are deadlocked with Seattle (5-1-0) while NCW fell to 0-4-1.
The Shadow men (1-0-3) finished in a 0-0 draw with division co-leader Portland PDX (2-0-1) in their National Premier Soccer League home opener at Spokane Falls CC.