GOLD RIVER, Calif. – Portland had three boats qualify for the grand finals after a strong showing Friday at the 2026 West Coast Conference Rowing Championships hosted by the Sacramento State Aquatic Center at Lake Natoma.

Friday's action featured heats across all classifications with the top three finishers of each race advancing to Saturday's grand finals.

The Pilots finished third in their heats of the second varsity eight and first varsity four, while Portland's second varsity four took second place. The first varsity eight boat just missed advancing and will compete in the petite final after placing fourth.

The day started strong with the second varsity four finishing second with a time of 8:05.5. The Pilots fell behind off the start, but showed a great deal of poise and ultimately edged out Saint Mary's and Sacramento State in heat 2. They will take lane 4 in tomorrow's grand final at 8:15 a.m.

The first varsity four kept the momentum going by finishing with a time of 7:54.9 nearly eight seconds ahead of fourth-place Sacramento State. The boat will occupy lane six in tomorrow's 8:45 a.m. grand final.

Portland's second varsity eight raced in heat 2,  one of the closest contests of the morning. The Pilots were in fourth place after the start, but used the middle 1,000 meters of the race to work through Sacramento State and book their spot in the grand final with a time of 7:10.3, less than a second behind Gonzaga who took second. The Pilots will feature in lane six in the grand final with a 9:15 a.m. start.

The first varsity eight put together a strong race and came up just short, finishing in fourth place with a time of 7:06.4. They will compete in the petite final tomorrow with a 9:30 a.m. start in lane 2.

"The WCC is a competitive conference and all of our crews were in close, exciting races," commented head coach Gulliver Scott. "We showed real progress by advancing three of four boats to grand finals, and I'm proud of the effort and performances we saw today."

The West Coast Conference Championships feature 10 teams this year with six member schools – Gonzaga, Portland, Saint Mary's, San Diego, Santa Clara and Seattle U – joined by four affiliates in Creighton, Oregon State, Sacramento State and Washington State.

All races at the event will be streamed live on ESPN+ and live race updates and results can be accessed here. Visit the tournament central page for more information. See below from complete results, schedule, Portland lineups and championship scoring structure.

2026 WCC CHAMPIONSHIPS
FRIDAY, MAY 15
* The top three finishers from each heat will advance to Saturday's Grand Final. The remaining crews will compete in a Petite Final. Lane assignments for finals will be determined by finishing positions in the heat races. 

Second V4 Heat 1
1. Oregon State, 7:34.751
2. Washington State, 7:43.437
3. San Diego, 8:12.040
4. Creighton, 8:31.145

Second V4 – Heat 2
1. Gonzaga, 7:53.609
2. Portland, 8:05.530
3. Saint Mary's, 8:07.867
4. Sacramento State, 8:10.877

First V4 – Heat 1
1. Oregon State, 7:29.784
2. San Diego, 7:51.708
3. Saint Mary's, 8:05.643
4. Creighton, 8:19.663
5. Santa Clara, 8:28.525

First V4 – Heat 2
1. Washington State, 7:36.786
2. Gonzaga, 7:44.066
3. Portland, 7:54.978
4. Sacramento State, 8:02.543
5. Seattle U, 9:09.333

Second V8 – Heat 1
1. Oregon State, 6:53.823
2. Saint Mary's, 7:10.517
3. San Diego, 7:19.718
4. Santa Clara, 7:23.270
5. Creighton, 7:47.600

Second V8 – Heat 2
1. Washington State, 6:58.060
2. Gonzaga, 7:09.790
3. Portland, 7:10.353
4. Sacramento State, 7:12.352
5. Seattle U, 7:36.817

First V8 – Heat 1
1. Oregon State, 6:44.329
2. Gonzaga, 6:53.029
3. Washington State, 6:54.321
4. Santa Clara, 7:07.422
5. Creighton, 7:09.012

First V8 – Heat 2
1. San Diego, 6:55.151
2. Sacramento State, 6:56.171
3. Saint Mary's, 7:01.793
4. Portland, 7:06.443
5. Seattle U, 7:45.087

SATURDAY, MAY 16 (Lane Assignments in Order)
8:00 AM: Second V4 – Petite Final (CRE, SAC)
8:15 AM: Second V4 - Grand Final (OSU, GON, WSU, POR, SMC, USD)
8:30 AM: First V4 – Petite Final (CRE, SAC, SEA, SCU)
8:45 AM: First V4 – Grand Final (WSU, OSU, USD, GON, SMC, POR)
9:00 AM: Second V8 – Petite Final (SAC, SCU, CRE, SEA)
9:15 AM: Second V8 – Grand Final (WSU, OSU, GON, SMC, USD, POR)
9:30 AM: First V8 – Petite Final (SCU, POR, CRE, SEA)
9:45 AM: First V8 – Grand Final (USD, OSU, SAC, GON, SMC, WSU)

WCC CHAMPIONSHIPS POINT SYSTEM

 










PORTLAND LINEUPS
Varsity Eight
C: Leahbelle Paladino
8: Julia Kiplinger
7: Veronica Conklin
6: Jo Patton
5: Rachel Hester
4: Molly Spraker
3: Kylin Gahlmann
2: Averie Zealley
1. Aneta Seböková

Second Varsity Eight
C: Natalie Petty
8: Mina Mihajlovic
7: Madi Quinton
6: Shelby Hack
5: Claire Banasky
4: Felicity Bishop
3: Nevaeh Rhodes
2: Isabella Honig
1. Massey Willis

Varsity Four
C: Bella Valenzuela
4: Phoebe Price
3: Addison Burleigh
2: Zoe Del Vecchio
1: Tania Hernandez Abud

Second Varsity Four
C: Reegan Gardiner
4: Megan Eckels
3: Elizabeth Adams
2: Sam Kronis
1: Savanna Collins

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