GU women repeat rowing feat

The Gonzaga University women’s team earned its second straight Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Efficiency trophy Sunday, awarded to the school with the best collective finishes in all races entered at the WIRA Championships in Sacramento, Calif.

Gonzaga failed to defend Grand Final titles in the Varsity and Junior Varsity 8+ races on Lake Natoma, finishing third in both, but the Bulldogs won the Novice 8+ Grand Final.

Four Bulldogs earned All-WIRA honors, including first-teamers Kari Durgan, Sarah Allison and Erin Palmiter. Whitney Patrick (Mt. Spokane) made the second team.

Also racing in the women’s Varsity 8+ Grand Final was Western Washington, which finished sixth with three local rowers: Lindsay Mann-King (Colville), Samatha Marikis (Republic) and Amelia Whitcomb (Ferris). Western Washington is the top-ranked Division II team in the nation.

•Gonzaga men’s crew won the Varsity 8+ Petite Final at the WIRA Championships in Sacramento, Calif.

In addition to the Varsity 8+ performance, in which Gonzaga defeated San Diego by 5.2 seconds, both Novice 8+ boats placed second in their Grand Final races.