LAKEWOOD, Wash. -- In a day that featured choppy waters and strong headwinds, Portland Pilots Rowing still shined at the Tacoma Tussle, taking first in all races at the event held at American Lake. It's the first wins of the year for the varsity eight boats and the second for the varsity four.

The first varsity eight dominated their race, winning with a time of 7:43. They established a strong lead by the second 500-meters and cruised from there. Dawon Lee was the coxswain for the Pilots while Kate Feustel was the stroke.

A steering issue stopped the second varsity eight race early, but once underway the Pilots established control and never looked back, managing the race well from start to finish. They finished with a time of 8:11.0 to take first, with Leahbelle Paladino as the coxswain and Molly Spraker as the stroke.

"Overall we had a strong performance," 6-seat Claire Banasky said. "Despite the restart, we were able to keep calm and not let it affect the outcome of our piece."

The final race saw the varsity four earn their second win of the season. Despite dealing with some fo the worst conditions, they powered through and posted a time of 9:39 on their way to a win. Clarissa Gutierrez was the coxswain and Gaby Twitchell was the stroke.

Up next, the Pilots will host the Portland Invite on Saturday, April 6 at Vancouver Lake in Washington. Check PortlandPilots.com for live stats and video options.

Varsity Eight Results
1. Portland, 7:43.0
2. Seattle U, 8:01.0
3. Puget Sound, 8:04.8

Second Varsity Eight Results
1. Portland, 8:11.0
2. Seattle U, 8:41.8
3. 9:31.8

Varsity Four
1. Portland, 9:39.0
2. 11:05.3

Varsity Eight
Coxswain: Dawon Lee
Stroke: Kate Feustel
7. Veronica Conklin
6. Megan Duifhuis
5. Mia Kilmister
4. Phoebe Barkann
3. Rachel Hester
2. Julia Kiplinger
1. Lexa Wendl
 
Second Varsity Eight
Coxswain: Leahbelle Paladino
Stroke: Molly Spraker
7: Mina Mihajlovic
6: Claire Banasky
5: Addison Thomas
4: Isabella Honig
3: Sarah Redmond
2: Gabriela Garcia
Bow: Rachel Mann
 
Varsity Four
Coxswain: Clarissa Gutierrez
Stroke: Gaby Twitchell
3: Elizabeth Adams
2: Alysa Gribben
Bow: Tania Abud Hernandez

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