SEATTLE – The Washington women's rowing team won the Championship Women's 8+, Sponsored by Pocock Racing Shells, to highlight a successful Sunday at the Head of the Lake Regatta.
 
UW crews finished first and third in the Championship Eights, with a crew coxed by Nina Castagna and stroked by Leah Nash winning the race with a time of 17:24.294 over the three-mile course from Lake Union to Lake Washington. Gonzaga finished second, 47 seconds behind and another Husky eight, coxed by Grace Murdock, finished in third, 50 seconds back of the winning entry.
 
"The Head of Lake is a whole boathouse endeavor," said UW head coach Yaz Farooq. "It's really awesome to have that Husky spirit permeating from all of the boat bays, from those who took their first strokes only a few weeks ago to alums who come back each year to relive their glory days.
 
"We've blended boats since coming back from the Charles, and today was a good test for pushing one another, with regional crews here to do the same," Farooq said. "Our eight that won the Championship Eights race definitely turned in an inspired performance. It's always awesome to see our walk-ons succeed. Leah Nash learned to row a year ago, earned a seat in our eight that finished 3rd at the Head of the Charles and then stroked the crew that won today."
 
An all-novice UW women's crew won the Collegiate 3V8+ race, with a time of 20:41.399, beating a University of Victoria shell by more than 42 seconds. That winning Husky eight was coxed by Grace Murdock's sister, Olivia, and stroked by Izzy Peters from Ferndale, Wash.
 
"The novices were fresh off our annual tradition, 'The Head of the Cake,'" explained Farooq,"where they spar against one another for a cake and sparkling cider. They parlayed that warmup yesterday into an awesome race and win here today."
 
In the women's Collegiate JV8+, Washington finished in third place, finishing about seven seconds back of a crew from UBC and four seconds behind runner-up Gonzaga.
 
Later in the morning, a total of 11 UW women's pairs were to have competed in that race category, filling out the entire field with Huskies. However, due to rough conditions, all singles and pairs races were cancelled.
 
The Head of the Lake was the final competition of the fall season for the UW. They'll return to action next spring.
 
Washington's Women's Lineups:
 
Varsity Eight – Bow #14
Shell: Title IX Sisterhood
Cox: Grace Murdock (Roswell, Ga./Milton)
Stroke: Abby Adebiyi (London, England, U.K.)
7: Nikki Martincic (Newtown, Sydney, Australia)
6: Elena Collier-Hezel (Buffalo, N.Y./Park School/Michigan)
5: Shakira Mirfin (Invercargill, New Zealand
4: Claire Marion (San Marcos, Calif./San Marcos)
3: Brigit O'Rourke (West Seattle, Wash./Vashon Island)
2: Haley Stoker (Bellingham, Wash./Bellingham)
Bow: Ava Meuleman (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt)
 
Varsity Eight – Bow #15
Shell: Title IX Tenacity
Cox: Nina Castagna (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills)
Stroke: Leah Nash (Chatham, Mass./Monomoy)
7: Mira Calder (Victora, B.C., Canada/Claremont Secondary)
6: Madi Frampton (Tumwater, Wash.)
5: Aisha Rocek (Erba, Italy)
4: Allison Jakeway (Maple Ridge, B.C., Canada/Maple Ridge Secondary)
3: Jeri Rhodes (St. Louis, Mo./Ladue Horton Watkins/Michigan)
2: Jordan Freer (Lotus, Calif./El Dorado/UC Santa Barbara)
Bow: Dimitra Tsamopoulou (Athens, Greece)
 
Second Varsity Eight – Bow #25
Shell: Jean LaFramboise
Cox: Carina Baxter (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge)
Stroke: Francesca Abraham (Bellevue, Wash./Int'l. School of Amsterdam)
7: Molly Wiser (Leavenworth, Wash./Cascade)
6: Grace Epp (Redmond, Wash./Redmond)
4: Carly Lauritzen (Nine Mile Falls, Wash./Lakeside)
4: Brianna Hoffman (Poulsbo, Wash./North Kitsap)
3: Gabby Engel (Milwaukee, Wis./Whitefish Bay)
2: Maddie Ohm (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township)
Bow: Victoria Park (Bellevue, Wash./The Bush School)
 
Freshman Eight – Bow #43
Cox: Olivia Murdock (Roswell, Ga./Milton)
Stroke: Izzy Peters (Ferndale, Wash./Squalicum)
7: Isabelle Tinsley (Venice, Fla./State College of Florida Collegiate School)
6: Luella Bowerstock (Austin, Texas/Austin)
5: Dani Lohrenz (Minnetonka, Minn./Minnetonka)
4: Sofie Sand (Rochester, Wash./Rochester)
3: Katey Krisky (Beaverton, Ore./Mountainside)
2: Bri Hopper (Seattle, Wash./Holy Names Academy/Cornell)
Bow: Lily Brecht (Seattle, Wash./Seattle Prep)