The 2022 spring season is underway and the Washington State University rowing team is looking to return to the NCAA Championships for the 14th time in program history under head coach Jane LaRiviere. 

After the 2020-21 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cougar rowing team saw the fall portion of their schedule cancelled, leaving the Cougs only a spring season to qualify for the NCAA Championships, where they finished 15th as a team.

LaRiviere said the goal this season is to improve on last year's performance.

"This team is one of the most talented I've ever coached," LaRiviere said.  "We have some pretty great leaders and they're not just seniors.  I feel as though there's a good variety of people that have shown they can step up."

This season, the Cougar rowing team will compete in three more invitationals before the Pac-12 Championships on May 15 and the NCAA Championships on May 27-29. LaRiviere said that due to the limited number of races they compete in, it's important from a recruiting standpoint to find rowers that are dedicated to training. 

"We try to identify people that love to train, because rowing is very much a training sport, we race so little compared to the amount of time we train," LaRiviere said. "The attributes that end up [making] good rowers are people that are tenacious and hardworking." 

In addition to their success on the water, the Cougar rowing team has excelled in the classroom. In 2021, 11 members of the roster  were named National Scholars Student-Athletes by the College Rowing Coaches Association. 

"We're fortunate people are committed to academics that join our team. They recognize the opportunity that they have to compete at the highest level while receiving a highly regarded Pac-12 education," LaRiviere said. 

Unlike most Pac-12 teams that are able to practice all year on the water, the Cougar rowing team, due to extreme weather conditions in the Palouse region, is unable to be out on the water in December and January.

"The team has to stay really focused and relaxed and just trust the process because we don't have as much time on the water as other schools," LaRiviere said. 

Although the Cougars have their sights set on another NCAA Championships berth, they also are invested in the recent crisis in Ukraine as one of their teammates, fifth year senior Kateryna Maistrenko, is a native of Ukraine.

Kateryna's teammate, junior Cate Field, said that the team is doing everything they can to support Kateryna, who goes by Kate, during this difficult time.

"It's been incredible watching her persevere every day," Field said. "She shows up to training with a smile on her face. Her strength and dedication to this team inspire us all."

Kate was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine where her immediate and extended family all still live. LaRiviere said that Kate is using this tragedy as an opportunity to spread awareness.

"She [has] a lot of amazing opportunities because of the person that she is and the hard work that she puts in," LaRiviere said. "And now we are doing everything we can to be compassionate and supportive of her." 

About half of the WSU rowing roster is made up of international student-athletes. LaRiviere said that these student-athletes wouldn't have the opportunity to be where they are without scholarship and fundraising support.

"Our international athletes tend to be the picture perfect student-athletes because they come from backgrounds that are quite difficult, and they really appreciate the opportunity they are given here," LaRiviere said. 

"Scholarships and fundraising donations provide a huge opportunity for young women like us to be able to pursue the sports we love," Field said. "It's an incredible privilege."

LaRiviere also said that fundraising through campaigns like the Power of IX, WSU Athletics initiative around the 50th anniversary of Title IX,  can directly impact the quality of the experience for the team. 

"Even small donations when added together can really make an impactful difference on the lives of our student-athletes," LaRiviere said.

Follow the Cougar rowing program throughout the season at wsucougars.com