DEXTER, Oregon – Central Oklahoma won its second GNAC Championship in three years on Saturday thanks to a Varsity 4+ title and a runner-up performance in the Varsity 8+ race.
UCO garnered 27 team points and beat Cal Poly Humboldt by one point. The Lumberjacks, formerly Humboldt State, won the eights and finished third in the fours to earn 26 team points. Western Washington finished third with 19 points and Seattle Pacific fourth with 18 points.
"I'm proud of the team for their work all season," UCO head rowing coach Jen Gilbert said. "We've been working toward this race for a long time and the team did a great job today."
UCO finished second in the V8+ championship race with a time of 7:05.33, less than four seconds behind Humboldt, and 0.33 seconds in front of Seattle Pacific. If the Bronchos would have finished third behind SPU, Central would have been second in the team points.
Central's fours were not as dramatic racing toward the finish line, where the Bronchos won for a third consecutive season. In each of the three years the GNAC has sponsored a rowing championship event, UCO's fours have claimed the title. The Bronchos did it Saturday with a time of 7:51.92, just over four seconds in front of Western Washington. Humboldt was third in the fours by 0.02 seconds, and again, the difference in second and third helped UCO to the one-point team victory and conference championship.
The CRCA national rankings have Cal Poly Humboldt No. 1, Central Oklahoma No. 2, Seattle Pacific No. 3, and Western Washington No. 4. UCO takes the top spot in the NCAA's West Region rankings. The NCAA will announce the field for the 2023 NCAA Division II Rowing National Championships Tuesday, May 16 at 4:30 p.m.
Saturday's Results
Team Scores
1. Central Oklahoma 27
2. Cal Poly Humboldt 26
3. Western Washington 19
4. Seattle Pacific 18
Varsity 4+
1. Central Oklahoma, 7:51.924
2. Western Washington, 7:56.064
3. Cal Poly Humboldt, 7:56.088
4. Seattle Pacific, 7:57.458
Varsity 8+
1. Cal Poly Humboldt, 7:01.991
2. Central Oklahoma, 7:05.537
3. Seattle Pacific, 7:05.663
4. Western Washington, 7:09.889
Exhibition 4+
1. Seattle Pacific, 8:03.544
2. Cal Poly Humboldt, 8:09.330
3. Central Oklahoma, 8:15.804
4. Western Washington, 8:16.112
