Oregon State University announced on May 14 that its women’s rowing team will compete in the West Coast Conference championship this weekend in Gold River, California. The two-day regatta will conclude with the first varsity eight Grand Final on Saturday.
The event is significant for Oregon State as it brings together top teams to compete across multiple boat classes, providing a platform for athletes to showcase their abilities at a high level of collegiate competition.
Four boats from Oregon State will participate, starting with two heats of the second varsity four at 8:30 and 8:45 a.m. Friday. These are followed by races in the first varsity four (9:00 and 9:15 a.m.), second varsity eight (9:30 and 9:45 a.m.), and finally the varsity eight (10:00 and 10:15 a.m.). Saturday’s racing begins at 8:00 a.m. with the second varsity four Petite Final, ending with the Grand Final for the varsity eight at 9:45 a.m. The action will be available on ESPN+ with live results posted online.
The Beavers recently competed head-to-head against Washington State on May 2 at their home course, winning five out of six races. Their varsity eight lineup included Taylor Denger as coxswain, along with Lauren Garrett, Quincey Ludwig, Giulia Clerici, Rhi Loughnan, Margo Calub, Linda Weitmann, Ashtyn Miller and Charlotte Lightfoot; they achieved victory by nearly ten-and-a-half seconds—one of three boats to win by more than ten seconds.
Earlier this season on Lake Natoma—the same venue as this weekend’s championship—Oregon State had wins in both first and second varsity fours during the Big Ten Invite and earned multiple top-three finishes across all boats over two days of racing. The team has also faced several conference opponents throughout spring competitions.
In the most recent national poll released May 12, Oregon State was ranked No. 20 nationally. According to Oregon State Athletics’ mission statement included in their announcement, “Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).”
