HEAD OF THE SPOKANE

The Spokane River was the scene of a competitive clash between crews from Washington State University and Gonzaga University on Saturday, October 21. The Head of the Spokane, a highly anticipated fall event, showcased the talent and unwavering determination of these collegiate athletes.

Race Results and Times:

Men's Collegiate Eights:

1. Gonzaga 1V8+ - 15:30

2. WSU 1V8+ - 15:47

3. Gonzaga 1V8+ - 15:53

4. WSU 1V8+ - 17:02

Men's Novice Eights:

1. WSU 1N8+ - 17:52

2. Gonzaga 1N8+ - 17:54

3. WSU 2N8+ - 18:53

4. WSU 3N8+ - 20:20

Men's Collegiate Fours:

1. Gonzaga A - 17:22

2. Gonzaga B - 17:39

3. WSU A - 17:45

4. WSU B - 17:57

5. Gonzaga C - 17:59

Collegiate Eights - Round 2:

1. Gonzaga 3V8+ - 16:24

2. WSU 2/3V8+ - 17:53

3. Gonzaga 2N8+ - 17:57

4. WSU M/W 3N8+/4N8+ - 21:36

In addition to the larger boats, Alex Carper put on an impressive display in the single, finishing in 3rd place out of 5 boats, finishing in 24:32.

Ezra Klinghoffer, 7 seat of the Varsity 8+ boat, remarked on their race, "We executed our first race of the year quite well. The pacing wasn't perfect, but I was pleased with the effort and technical discipline we brought to bear. I think both WSU and Gonzaga have grown into more competitive teams since last year, with us (WSU) slightly closing the gap vs last year's results. Our lineup is quite young and has a lot of potential for growth, so I'm excited to continue to close that gap over the coming months. More immediately, we will look to build on our first racing experience at Head of the Lake."

Noah Schmalenberger, 7 seat of the 2nd Varsity 8+ boat, shared his thoughts on the weekend's performance, saying, "This weekend was a great opportunity for our boat to demonstrate our continued skill and fitness improvements we have been making over the past few months. Our energy and effort was high, and we were able to put down the power well and finish with a competitive time. We have a great foundation and I can’t wait to see where that takes us."

Zack Brandt, 4 seat of the 1st Novice 8+ boat, expressed his enthusiasm about their victorious debut race, stating, "Our first race as novices couldn’t have gone much better. Our determination allowed us to put ourselves in a winning position even when we fell behind and every person on that boat gave it their all. I’m very excited about our novice class and I can’t wait to see how much we can improve come springtime."

The Head of the Spokane race delivered an exciting start to the season, setting the stage for continued training in pursuit of speed for the spring racing season. The Cougs return to action on November 5th in Seattle when they travel to the Head of the Lake regatta.