SEATTLE – The No. 1-ranked Washington women's rowing team swept five races in the annual Boeing Apple Cup Series races against No. 13 Washington State Saturday on Montlake Cut.
 
The Huskies, the defending NCAA champions, beat the Cougars in the first, second and third varsity eight, the freshman eight and the varsity four.
 
"We did what we do best," said senior Brooke Pierson, who rowed in the seven seat in the varsity eight, "which is to go out on the water and just focus on what we have in front of us."
 
The Apple Cup races were the first competitive races for Washington since the Huskies beat USC in Las Vegas on March 3. Saturday marked the first race of the season for the third varsity eight and for the freshman boat as only three boats rowed in Vegas.
 
The Huskies will have a week off from racing before an important date with No. 3-ranked Texas and No. 5 Michigan on April 14.
 
Varsity Eight
Washington's varsity eight, coxed by senior Phoebe Marks-Nicholes and stroked by Seattle's Katy Gillingham, rowed a strong race from start to finish to beat Washington State by more than 16 seconds. The Huskies led throughout and finished well, stretching what was a lead of under 12 seconds to the final margin over the last 500 meters. The UW won in a time of 6:30.666, with WSU second in 6:46.963.
 
Second Varsity Eight
The Huskies' second varsity eight was dominant from the starting dock, earning a seven-second lead before the 500-meter buoy. With coxswain Marley Avritt at the controls and stroked by Valentina Iseppi, the Husky boat won the 2V8 race with a time of 6:38.358 while Washington State rowed to second place in 7:04.263.
 
Varsity Four
Washington entered two boats in the varsity four competition, earning both first and second place in the three-boat race. Washington's "A" boat, with Madison Mariani at coxswain and Italian Chiara Ondoli rowing in the stroke seat, stretched a relatively close lead through the first portion of the race into an eight-second victory over the Washington "B" crew, coxed by Amanda Durkin. The A boat finished in 7:25.479 while the B boat was second in 7:33.522. WSU finished third in 7:53.722.
 
Third Varsity Eight
Coxswain Isabella Corriere steered Washington's third varsity eight to a win in its 2018 debut. The Husky boat held a comfortable lead from nearly the start and finished in a time of 6:52.727. WSU's 3V8 was second, in 7:12.866.
 
Freshman Eight
In the first college race of the regatta, the Washington novice eight got its season off to an excellent start with a win over Washington State. Olympia's Maddy Cope led crew with seven of nine members from the state of Washington to a 6:58.960 finish. The race was close in the early portion, but the Huskies increased their margin to win by more than 22 seconds. WSU was second (7:21.292).
 
Fourth Varsity Eight (Husky Open College Women's 1V8+)
Washington's only women's entry in the Husky Open was a fourth varsity eight, which rowed against defending NCAA Division II champion Western Washington's first varsity eight, as well as Seattle Pacific's top boat. The Vikings had taken the top spot by the first 500 meters in a very closely-packed field and fell behind SPU by 1,000 meters, but pulled away to win in a time of 7:08.935. SPU was second (7:13.079) and the UW boat finished third (7:20.849).
 
Up Next
The UW women have next week off before returning to action on April 14, when the Huskies travel back to Lake Las Vegas to face No. 3 Texas and No. 5 Michigan.
 
About Washington Rowing
Rowing at University of Washington was established in 1901 with support from the local business community. In 1903, Washington entered its first intercollegiate race and defeated California, starting their storied "Cal Dual" rivalry. From this beginning, UW crews became the champions in the nation, winning the Gold Medal in the Olympics in 1936 as described in the New York Times bestseller The Boys in the Boat. UW has continued its tradition of winning championships and Olympic medals, and today is one of the best university rowing programs in the world. With its state-of-the-art training facility located on the UW campus right on the shores of Lake Washington, surrounded by mountains and in close proximity to the iconic Montlake Cut, Washington Rowing attracts the best men and women student-athletes from the Pacific Northwest and around the world. More information at GoHuskies.com, WashingtonRowing.com and @UW_Rowing.
 
Boeing Apple Cup Lineups
 
VARSITY 8+ (vs. Washington State)
Cox: Phoebe Marks-Nicholes (Seattle, Wash./Ballard)
Stroke: Katy Gillingham (Seattle, Wash./Holy Names Academy)
7: Brooke Pierson (Oak Harbor, Wash./West Potomac (Va.))
6: Tabea Schendekehl (Dortmund, Germany)
5: Brooke Mooney (Peru, Vt./Vermont Academy)
4: Sofia Asoumanaki (Athens, Greece)
3: Marlee Blue (Seattle, Wash./Holy Names Academy)
2: Elise Beuke (Sequim, Wash./Sequim)
Bow: Jessica Thoennes (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista)
 
SECOND VARSITY 8+  (vs. Washington State)
Shell: Jean La Fromboise
Cox: Marley Avritt (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor)
Stroke: Valentina Iseppi (Gardone Riviera, Italy)
7: Karle Pittsinger (Lake Chelan, Wash./Lake Chelan)
6: Carmela Pappalardo (Salerno, Italy)
5: Calina Schanze (Behlendorf, Germany)
4: Klara Grube (Lübeck, Germany)
3: Sara Clark (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar)
2: Julia Paulsen (Seattle, Wash./The Bush School)
Bow: Jennifer Wren (Seattle, Wash./Bishop Blanchet)
 
VARSITY 4+ (vs. Washington State)
Cox: Madison Mariani (Snoqualmie, Wash./Mount Si)
Stroke: Chiara Ondoli (Angera, Italy)
3: Kenzie Waltar (Kirkland, Wash./Juanita)
2: Tommie De Rooij (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Bow: Skylar Jacobson (Lakewood, Wash./Steilacoom)
 
SECOND VARSITY 4+ (vs. Washington State)
Cox: Amanda Durkin (Hingham, Mass./Hingham)
Stroke: Anna Porteous (Kingston upon Thames, U.K.)
3: Molly Gallaher (Sammamish, Wash./Skyline)
2: Emma Vagen (Kent, Wash./Kentwood)
Bow: Teal Cohen (Dallas, Texas/The Hockaday School)
 
THIRD VARSITY 8+ (vs. Washington State)
Shell: Erickson Family
Cox: Isabella Corriere (Montclair, N.J./Montclair)
Stroke: Meg Rutherford (Seattle, Wash./Holy Names Academy)
7: Adele Likin (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt)
6: Holly Drapp (Tampa, Fla./Strawberry Crest)
5: Annaka Green (Pleasanton, Calif./Amador Valley)
4: Katelyn Costanza (Vancouver, Wash./Columbia River)
3: Rachel McGlothlen (Spokane, Wash./West Valley)
2: Nancy MacGeorge (Seattle, Wash./Ballard)
Bow: Lark Skov (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs)
 
FRESHMAN 8+ (vs. Washington State)
Shell: Olympia
Cox: Maddy Cope (Olympia, Wash./Olympia)
Stroke: Ellie Bruce (Snoqualmie, Wash./Mount Si)
7: Tea Federspiel (Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue)
6: Mary Fudge (Kachess, Wash./Easton)
5: Taylor Buell (Olympia, Wash./Capital)
4: Carley Vaccher (Yorba Linda, Calif./Orange Lutheran)
3: Paige West (Spokane, Wash./Riverside)
2: Elizabeth Benson (Oakland, Calif./Bishop O'Dowd)
Bow: Jenna Phillips (Dayton, Wash./Dayton)
 
SECOND NOVICE 8+ (Husky Open College Women's 1V8+)
Shell: Kari Osterhaus
Cox: Isabel Klein (Seattle, Wash./University Prep)
Stroke: Anna Corff (Seattle, Wash./The Bush School)
7: Laurel Safranek (Anchorage, Alaska/West Anchorage)
6: Ava Trogus (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park and River Forest)
5: Kinsey Eager (Langley, Wash./South Whidbey)
4: Madi Martin (Tacoma, Wash./Puyallup)
3: Fiona Shields (Bainbridge Island, Wash./Bainbridge)
2: Nicole Carlson (Bellingham, Wash./Sehome)
Bow: Emma Whybrew (Liberty Lake, Wash./Central Valley)