UW Women Finish Second At Pac-12 Championships

Sunday, May 15

Lowell, OR

9:00 AM

University of Washington

Pac-12 Championships

Photo by: Alika Jenner

May 15, 2022 | Women's Rowing

Full Regatta Results Women's Results (PDF)UW Lineups Photo Gallery

LOWELL, Ore. – The 2022 Pac-12 Women's Rowing Championships came down to the varsity eight final, with Washington and Stanford fighting for the title Sunday at Dexter Lake.

The Cardinal held off the Huskies in the varsity eight final and took home the team crown, breaking the UW's streak of four straight Pac-12 championships. Stanford finished with 43.5 points to the Huskies' 41.

Washington won the second varsity eight race, but finished second to Stanford in the third varsity eight, novice eight and varsity four. California (31.5 points) finished third in four of five races, as well as in the team standings, while Oregon State (23 points) was fourth.

Sunday marked the first time this season that Washington and Stanford had competed, and they'll see each other again in two weeks at NCAA Championships in Florida.

In the varsity eight final, the Cardinal led for, essentially, the entire 2,000 meters, with UW and Cal holding down second and third places throughout. The Cardinal crossed 500 meters just six-tenths of a second up on the Huskies but steadily increased the lead.

Stanford finished with a time of 6:13.411, with the Huskies about 5.6 seconds behind in 6:19.061. Cal was another 1.5 seconds back in third place.

"This was my last Pac-12 after two years away from this amazing team," said varsity stroke rower Carmella Pappalardo, an Italian National Team member. "I am proud and honored to be part of the Women of Washington. Shoutout to all the teams out there who bring the level up in every single race. I am looking forward to racing at NCAAs for the last time with a W on my chest."

Washington's second varsity eight won its race in wire-to-wire fashion. The Huskies opened up a 1.5-second lead over Stanford at 500 meters, and had stretched it to two seconds by the halfway mark. The Cardinal kept it close down the stretch, but Washington won with a time of 6:22.032, 1.7 seconds ahead of Stanford (6:23.702).

"I have never been in a boat that has felt so powerful and on a mission," said Brittany Shappell, who rowed in the six seat in the second varsity eight. "We believed in our power for each other and will continue to sharpen the next two weeks to capitalize on our strength together."

Washington's varsity four led its race at 500 meters, passing that buoy about a half a second ahead of Stanford. However, the Cardinal took the lead in the second 500 and held it the remainder of the course, finishing in 7:01.868. Washington's time in the varsity four was 7:06.454.

Stanford took the lead in the third varsity eight race from the start, with Washington and USC close behind. The Cardinal led throughout the race, but the Huskies stayed in contention and pulled away from the rest of the field by the midway point. In the end, the Cardinal (6:29.330) won the race, by nearly a length, over UW (6:32.520), with Cal (6:40.750) coming on to earn third place ahead of USC.

The first women's race of the day was the novice eight race, where Cal had the lead after 500 meters. By 1,000, the Huskies had taken the lead, with Stanford also moving though Cal for second place. The UW novices held the advantage at 1,500 meters, but the Cardinal manage to out-pace the field for the win, finishing no more than a couple of feet in front of Washington with a time of 6:34.310, just 0.040 seconds ahead of the Huskies (6:34.350).

"It's good to have the whole team back in action," said UW head coach Yasmin Farooq. "Every day shows positive growth. We knew we'd be tested and that we'd need to step up against excellent competition. Thanks to the other strong Pac-12 teams for pushing us today, and to Stanford, which earned the title. The racing was top notch and the Dexter Lake venue delivered good and fair conditions. We've come really far as a team this year and we're excited to challenge ourselves and sharpen our edges as we prepare for the NCAAs."

The Huskies will have nearly weeks to prepare for the 2022 NCAA Championships, selections for which will be revealed on Tuesday, May 17. For the second year in a row, the NCAAs will be held at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla. The regatta is scheduled for May 27-29.

UW Women's Pac-12 Championship Lineups:

Varsity Eight
Shell: Dottie Simpson
Cox: Nina Castagna (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills)
Stroke: Carmela Pappalardo (Salerno, Italy)
7: Aisha Rocek (Erba, Italy)
6: Ella Cossill (Gold Coast, Australia)
5: Teal Cohen (Dallas, Texas/The Hockaday School)
4: Holly Dunford (Tadworth, England, U.K.)
3: Holly Drapp (Tampa, Fla./Strawberry Crest)
2: Valentina Iseppi (Gardone Riviera, Italy)
Bow: McKenna Bryant (Kent, Wash./Kennedy Catholic)

Second Varsity Eight
Shell: Title IX Tenacity
Cox: Grace Murdock (Roswell, Ga./Milton)
Stroke: Carmen McNamara-Smith (Seattle, Wash./The Center School)
7: Angharad Broughton (Cardiff, Wales, U.K.)
6: Brittani Shappell (Bellingham, Wash./Walworth Barbour)
5: Fiona Shields (Bainbridge Island, Wash./Bainbridge)
4: Isabel van Opzeeland (Hoofddorp, Netherlands)
3: Nikki Martincic (Newtown, Sydney, Australia)
2: Katherine Slack (Everett, Wash./Kamiak)
Bow: Joïe Zier (Orcas Island, Wash./Orcas Island)

Varsity Four
Shell: Wendell S. Sykes
Stroke: Laurel Safranek (Anchorage, Alaska/West Anchorage)
3: Taylor Buell (Olympia, Wash./Capital)
2: Madi Frampton (Tumwater, Wash.)
Bow: Shakira Mirfin (Invercargill, New Zealand
Cox: Carina Baxter (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge)

Third Varsity Eight
Shell: Title IX Sisterhood
Cox: Lauren Preston (Newtown, Pa./Notre Dame)
Stroke: Dimitra Tsamopoulou (Athens, Greece)
7: Abby Adebiyi (London, England, U.K.)
6: Atlanta Bruce (Auckland, New Zealand)
5: Claire Marion (San Marcos, Calif./San Marcos)
4: Sophia Chaffey (Redmond, Wash./Bellevue Christian)
3: Renee Hopper (Preston, Wash./Issaquah)
2: Megan Andersen (Sammamish, Wash./Skyline)
Bow: Victoria Park (Bellevue, Wash./The Bush School)

Novice Eight
Shell: Baby King
Cox: Anna Ellis (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor)
Stroke: Ava Meuleman (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt)
7: Leah Nash (Chatham, Mass./Monomoy)
6: Ishleen Kaur (SeaTac, Wash./Mount Rainier)
5: Lauren Swing (Santa Barbara, Calif./Santa Ynez Valley)
4: Brianna Hoffman (Poulsbo, Wash./North Kitsap)
3: Eliza Perry (Bellingham, Wash./Sehome)
2: Francesca Abraham (Bellevue, Wash./Int'l. School of Amsterdam)
Bow: Molly Wiser (Leavenworth, Wash./Cascade)