The University of Portland women’s rowing team finished seventh overall at the 2026 West Coast Conference Rowing Championships, according to a May 16 announcement. The event took place in Gold River, California, and saw Portland secure a varsity eight win in the petite finals and three boats reach their respective grand finals.
This result places Portland just one point behind Sacramento State, which finished sixth with 30 points. Seniors Veronica Conklin and Rachel Hester were named All-West Coast Conference honorees after the championships.
The Pilots’ first varsity eight boat recorded a time of 7:06.9 to win its petite final by more than five seconds. Both the second varsity four and second varsity eight crews outperformed their seeds by placing fifth in their grand finals; the second varsity four posted a time of 8:11.9, while the second varsity eight finished in 7:21.6—just one second behind Saint Mary’s.
Oregon State claimed the overall championship title with a total of 60 points and earned an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. Ten teams competed this year, including six conference members—Gonzaga, Portland, Saint Mary’s, San Diego, Santa Clara and Seattle U—and four affiliate schools: Creighton, Oregon State, Sacramento State and Washington State.
Conklin and Hester’s recognition as All-WCC honorees highlights individual achievements for Portland within a competitive field that featured several award winners from other institutions. Oregon State’s Lauren Garrett was named Rower of the Year; Michael Eichler received Coach of the Year honors; Taylor Denger was recognized as Coxswain of the Year; and Eesha Raj from Washington State was selected as Newcomer of the Year.
Looking ahead, fans can follow updates on University of Portland athletic programs through official channels or support student-athletes via donations.
