Western Washington Win Ninth Rowing National Championship
BETHEL, Ohio – Powered by a winning performance in the Varsity Eight Grand Final, the Western Washington University women’s rowing team claimed its ninth NCAA Division II National Championship in program history Saturday on Harsha Lake at East Fork State Park in Bethel, Ohio.
WWU edged out second-place Mercyhurst by one point in the final standings, earning 22 total points, with the top four teams separated by four total points in the closest team final team standings in the 22-year history of the event. The NCAA Championships scoring format rewards more points to the eights, with WWU picking up 18 points with its dominating performance in the V8+ and four points by placing 5th overall and winning the petite final in the fours.
The Vikings won their ninth team title in program history, adding to the expanding trophy case winning seven consecutive first-place trophies from 2005-2011, 2017 and in 2024. The team championship was the 13th in WWU Athletics history and first since the women’s soccer team won the 2022 national title in Seattle at the Fall Championships Festival. Last week the softball team earned national runner-up honors at the World Series in Florida.
A day after recording the fastest qualifying time in the heats of the Varsity 8+, the Vikings recorded a wire-to-wire victory in the Grand Final with a time of 6:57.610 on the 2,000-meter course just outside of Cincinnati. Western recorded a margin of victory of over three seconds to hold off Mercyhurst over the last 500 meters to claim the program’s seventh V8+ national title and first since 2011.
The Vikings Varsity 4+ opened championship Saturday winning the petite final with a speedy time of 8:03.570, defeating Embry-Riddle (8:08.690) in a head-to-head race. WWU charged off the start line and held a lead wire-to-wire to record the 5th-fastest time in the event during the final day of the championship regatta. The Vikings picked up four team points by winning the petite final after just missing one of the four qualifying spots for the grand final placing 3rd in the Friday afternoon repechage.
The 2024 season marked the 20th time in program history WWU advanced to the NCAA Rowing Championships, taking home the ninth team title. Under the guidance of 26th-year head coach John Fuchs and longtime assistant coach and program alum Courtney Moeller, the Vikings are nine-time national champions winning seven consecutive titles from 2005-11, 2017 and this year in 2024.
Western Washington won the 2024 NCAA Division II National Championship scoring 22 points, earning 18 by winning the featured Varsity Eight Grand Final and picking up four key points by winning the Varsity Four Petite Final. WWU’s 22 points edged out 2022 national champion Mercyhurst by one point and Central Oklahoma by two points.
| Team | Total | Eight | Fours | |
| 1. | Western Washington | 22 | 18 | 4 |
| 2. | Mercyhurst | 21 | 15 | 6 |
| 3. | Central Oklahoma | 20 | 12 | 8 |
| 4. | Cal Poly Humboldt | 19 | 9 | 10 |
| 5. | Seattle Pacific | 15 | 3 | 12 |
| 6. | Embry-Riddle | 8 | 6 | 2 |
Here is a look at the team scoring format and points breakdown for the 2024 NCAA Rowing Championships:
| Place | Varsity 8+ | Varsity 4+ |
| 1st | 18 (WWU) | 12 (SPU) |
| 2nd | 15 (MU) | 10 (CPH) |
| 3rd | 12 (UCO) | 8 (UCO) |
| 4th | 9 (CPH) | 6 (MU) |
| 5th | 6 (ER) | 4 (WWU) |
| 6th | 3 (SPU) | 2 (ER) |
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