The Gonzaga women’s rowing team split its squad on April 25, with one group competing at the Triton Invitational in Chula Vista, California, and another racing against Washington State on the Spokane River.
The event highlighted the team’s depth and ability to compete at multiple venues. At the Triton Invitational, Gonzaga swept all four races against Saint Mary’s in conditions marked by a cross headwind and moderate chop. The Varsity 8 secured a narrow win by less than three-tenths of a second with a time of 6:35.60. The Bulldogs continued their strong performance in the Second Varsity 8, finishing more than 14 seconds ahead of Saint Mary’s with a time of 6:53.97. In the four-person events, Gonzaga’s Varsity Four posted a time of 7:46.90 while their Second Varsity Four finished in 8:01.93.
Meanwhile, back in Spokane, several Gonzaga crews competed against Washington State under cool morning conditions with a slight tailwind. The Bulldogs’ Third Varsity Eight placed second with a time of 7:20.50 behind Washington State’s winning crew at 7:09.91. In the four-person boats category, Gonzaga entered three crews that finished closely together; the Fourth Varsity Four led among them at 8:03.73.
Assistant coach Gillian Edgar said, “It’s fun to have a big team that allows for competitive split squad racing.” She added, “This group of athletes prepared well throughout the week and I was proud of their ownership and independence this morning. Excited for this group to compete at Windermere Cup next week. We are grateful that WSU came up to race and lucky to have close competitors just down the road.”
Gonzaga will continue competition tomorrow at the Triton Invitational while preparing for next weekend’s Windermere Cup.
