SARASOTA, Fla. – The 2017 World Rowing Championships wrapped up Sunday with six current and former Washington rowers competing in A and B finals.
 
In perhaps the biggest race of the day, the United States women's eight saw its streak of 11 straight Olympic and World Championship gold medals come to an end as Romania, the bronze medalists in Rio de Janeiro last summer, won the final.
 
The women's eight final featured the same lineup as the 2016 Olympic final, with the same six nations competing. However, many of the faces were new, including in the U.S. boat, which returned just two rowers and the coxswain from the Olympic gold medal crew. The American boat featured Katelin (Snyder) Guregian '09 returning at coxswain with Sarah Dougherty '16 making her World Championship regatta debut in the stroke seat. Fiona Gammond '15, also a first-time women's eight competitor at the championships, rowed in the three seat for Great Britain.
 
Romania, New Zealand and Great Britain jumped out to early lead, as a pack, in the first few hundred meters. At 500 meters, the Brits were second and the U.S. boat was tied with Canada for fourth.
 
Romania continued to lead at 1,000 meters and New Zealand had moved into second, but all six boats remained in contention, with the Americans having slipped into fifth place.
 
As the boats began to sprint, the Romanians stayed in front, and had to hold off a strong challenge from Canada, which finished second. The Kiwis took the bronze with the U.S. and Britain finishing fourth and fifth.
 
Also Sunday, former UW men's captain Jacob Dawson '16 and his Great Britain eight won the B final to finish seventh overall at the championships. The GB shell was second to Poland after 500 meters, but took the lead shortly thereafter and led the rest of the way to win in 5:39.77.
 
Two current UW rowers competed in the men's double sculls B final. Ben Davison '18, rowing for the United States, led the race in the early-going, but finished third behind Great Britain and Switzerland. Bram Schwarz '20 and his Netherlands partner finished sixth in that same final. Davison and Schwarz will now return to Seattle to rejoin their UW teammates.
 
Three other former Washington rowers medaled on Friday and Saturday as German Finn Schroeder '16 took third place in men's coxed pair, Megan Kalmoe '06 won silver for the U.S. in the women's pair, and Danielle Hansen '16 took the silver in the leg, trunk and arms mixed four with coxswain. A total of 12 Washington rowers competed in the championships, representing seven different nations.
 
Here's the complete rundown of UW rowers' performances in Sarasota:
 
Women's Eight (W8+)
USA - Katelin Guregian '09 and Sarah Dougherty '16 (4th in A final)
Great Britain - Fiona Gammond '15 (5th in A final)
 
Women's Coxless Four (W4-)
Italy - Carmela Pappalardo '20 (2nd in B final)
New Zealand - Kirstyn Goodger '14 (4th in B final)
 
Women's Pair (W2-)
USA - Megan Kalmoe '06 (Silver medal)
 
Legs, Trunk & Arms Mixed 4+ (LTAM4+)
USA - Danielle Hansen '16 (Silver medal)
 
Men's Eight (M8+)
Great Britain - Jacob Dawson '16 (1st in B final)
 
Men's Double Sculls (M2x)
USA - Ben Davison '18 (3rd in B final)
Netherlands - Bram Schwarz '20 (6th in B final)
Canada - Conlin McCabe '11 (4th in C final)
 
Men's Coxed Pair (M2+)
Germany - Finn Schroeder '16 (Bronze medal)
 
 
(photo of Katelin Guregian and Sarah Dougherty courtesy of Dan Brauchli, USRowing)