Summer 2026

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PULLHARD A COUGAR CREW PUBLICATION

VOL 36 / NO 2 / SUMMER

INTO THE TALENT PIPELINE

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Editor’s Note

VOL 36 / NO 2 / SUMMER 2026

TABLE OF CONTENTS President’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Finnley Young is Fourth Coug in USA Colors . . . . . . . . 2 Finley Luther Interns at U19 Camp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Senior Salute and Sendoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The Kari and Cedar Conversation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Emigh’s Observations: ACRAs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Jim Austin on the CRA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Cougar Crew Days 2026 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Snapshot: Fiscal Year 25/26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 CoxBox 101 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Alumni Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 In Memoriam: Dave Pratt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Of Note: Rowing News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 FY 24/25 Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

EDITORIAL TEAM Editor: Rich Ray (80) Editor@cougarcrew.com Design and layout: Kathleen Randall (81) Writing, copy editing and proofreading: Kari Ranten (80) Research, writing and fact checking: Mike Klier (75) Photo editing: John Holtman (81) Thank you, Summer 2026 issue content contributors: Jim Austin Alexandrea Carper Cedar Cunningham Dave Emigh Doug Engle John Holtman

Mike Klier Finley Luther Scott Morgan David Popowicz Kari Ranten Steve Ranten

Michael Riley Justin Sherfey Joe Sudar Jodi Winchell Finnley Young Kevin Young

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cougarcrew.com/support COVER: SATURDAY, AUGUST 8. BRIGHT SUN AND CHOP AT THE ROYAL CANADIAN HENLEY REGATTA. L-R: BOW PAIR ETHAN CAMPBELL (MIDDLEBURY 26) AND FINNLEY YOUNG (WSU 27).

PHOTO: DSP PHOTOGRAPHY

Re-watching The Limits of Control (2009) suggested rowing is a deep study in that subject . August 7, I was at Commencement Bay Rowing in Lakewood . Tammy Cook Lindberg (84) and husband Dave were there from Texas to witness a minor miracle: the Cristy Cay Cook was going home . Coach Peter Brevick (06) drove the trade shell from Pullman . Success was uncertain . One eight was pulled out of, and another inserted into, a window 21 feet up and barely big enough . Many stakeholders; months to schedule . Foul weather would have killed it . Another victory chevron on our intrepid little ship of state .

Cherishing material legacy is one key to building a community .

For coach and team, it is not the main thing . That would be fielding fast crews . Coaches invest their lives in watching, teaching, pleading for greater speed . Mostly they get indigestion . Quickly learned: catch, drive, release, recovery . A powerful swing? Maybe years . Maybe never . By graduation, we might glimpse the biomechanics and hydrodynamics of a racing shell in motion . Novices know that coaches hold all keys to such mysteries . Among the reasons coaches need thick skin, patience, skills, and something like spiritual devotion .

Consider: spiritual devotion can mean a detour into monastic seclusion . Isn’t rowing a detour—exiting the main road for something superior to the daily grind? Both detours are ascetic: simplicity over creature comforts . Both involve conscientious stewardship over gratification . Both involve meditation . For rowers, it’s daily focus on physical development and perfecting one’s stroke . Both involve similar schedules: study, rest and practice, synchronized dawn to dusk . Both involve the communal imperative—mutual aid over individualism . Both involve a lot of shared manual labor .

Physical conditioning, drilling technique, and practice mark the limits of a coach’s control . When that work is done, athletes know the rest is on them . Winning isn’t the only thing . It can be rare . The head rush of cooperative agency is the core of the experience . The whole, we say, is greater than the sum of its parts . George Pocock wrote: “When you’re rowing well, it’s nearing perfection . And when you near perfection, you’re touching the Divine .”

Coaches enjoy coaching . The business side they mostly tolerate: recruiting; managing the boathouse; making budget; hiring staff; gladhanding busybodies, arm-wrestling Monday morning QBs .

Peter Brevick is Prime Minister of Cougar Crew Nation . His responsibilities are overbroad; practical authority quite narrow . Every season brings fresh lessons in the limits of control . PM Brevick, take a bow: we are approaching what we have been aiming for— an accessible, durable, rewarding student opportunity . WSU is a little bit better because of us .

In this issue: two more Cougs join Team USA; Emigh’s Observations; the Class of 2026; Kari Ranten’s CCD and Cunningham reports; Mike Klier’s CoxBox 101; Alumni Notes . Thank you so much for reading . We could not do this without you .

—Rich “Flip” Ray (80), Editor

President’s Corner

Getting Into the Hunt Our championship season ended with a strong showing across event categories . This year’s roster numbers were adequate to field three varsity eights and a novice eight at ACRAs . Only our novices made the grand final . Disappointing? Of course . But consider what this bodes for the coming season .

Since only one team on the field will be champion, all others must reflect on the result of their efforts since fall and start planning next year’s assault . Making the podium is rare; sharing a coveted goal and living that daily high-voltage, hard focus on a mutual task are the true prizes of competitive sport . Rowing deeply enriches the undergraduate experience at Washington State University . Contributing to an ambitious team at any level builds valuable skills with lifetime benefits .

As we reflect on past successes, we plot the course to our next—the last achievement defining the coming target . The team’s strategic plan, a continuous work in progress, currently calls for fielding three varsity eights and two novice eights at ACRAs . Creating these crews, getting them into the grand finals, then into the hunt for medals is our plan for The team’s next big achievement: bringing home the overall team points trophy . This year, we came close to getting all boats into the Grand Finals .

The shell game at ACRAs has continually tightened over the last decade; multiple crews overlapping at the finish line is now quite common . Since 2016, only three teams have won twice: University of Virginia men (2017 and 2025); University of Michigan men (2018 and 2019) and Vanderbilt women: (2024 and 2025) . For the men, Purdue’s win this year marked the eighth consecutive grand final crowning a new and different champion . Great racing produces great experiences . Let our returning rowers reflect on what is needed to win close races; let our alumni resolve to help them get there . We are all Cougar Crew . We share the satisfaction of our victories; we also share the frustration of getting oh so close .

Spring medals are earned in the winter, when athletes are shaving seconds off their erg scores to power them past the competition in the closing 250 meters . We of the Old Guard are mobilizing resources for equipment, for coaching, for travel to training camps and distant regattas . Thank you to everyone for your historic contributions and support of the funky little sports club that refused to disappear .

—Doug Engle (79) President, Cougar Rowing Association Longtime board member Doug Engle has always been there for us: Liberty Lake; The Pull Hard; Class Day and Cougar Crew Days; millions in fundraising. He served 37 years as Research Scientist at the Western Wheat Quality Lab in Pullman.

TO THE VICTOR, THE SPOILS! (AFTER THE 2026 OLD OAR OPEN)

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Cougar Crew Days March 19–21, 2027, Pullman, WA Our keynote speaker is Glenn Putyrae (UW 94), Men’s Novice coach (1994–1997) under Head Coach Ernie Iseminger . Putyrae was our first Graduate Assistant Coach, and recently retired from a 30-year career, ending as Head Coach of Alabama University’s Varsity Women’s squad .

The Cristy Cay Cook has returned home . The Cook family, sister Tammy Cook Lindberg (84), mother Sherry and father Darwin (WSC, EE 60) plan to be present for the re-dedication in Beasley Coliseum .

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Finnley Young at World University Championships At the 2026 World University Rowing Championships Finnley Young (27), five seat in WSU’s M1v8+ became the team’s third male rower and first undergraduate to compete in USA colors .

Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) has been organizing major multi-sport events for studentathletes aged 18 to 25 since the middle of the last century . On odd-numbered years, FISU hosts a one-city Olympic Games-style sports fest . On even years, single-sport events are scattered all over the planet . This year, the FISU rowing event was hosted by Canada for the first time August 13–15 .

USRowing treats FISU events as an alternate entry to the talent pipeline for athletes that first show high promise as undergrads .

The FISU roster begins by filling an applicant pool that closes in April . Candidate profiles with erg scores and racing videos are posted to a USRowing web portal and updated frequently . On April 22, Young received an invitation to World University Championships Camp .

All candidates meet basic requirements: US citizen 17–25 years old, USRowing Championship Member ($75), FISU Certificate of Academic Eligibility, and benchmark erg score (Men: 6:10, Women: 7:10) .

Athletes preparing for FISU events are part of the official USRowing high-performance ecosystem with compliance protocols including SafeSport training, health and cardiovascular screenings, and USADA and WADA anti-doping testing .

Coaching the 2026 FISU men’s squad was University of Michigan Men’s Head Coach Gregg Hartsuff, assisted by one of his former athletes, Kevin Hinkle . Hinkle recently accepted a position at Yale after two years as Assistant Coach at Syracuse .

Following ACRAs, Young began his summer sculling with the Pocock Rowing Club on Lake Union in Seattle . July 8, he traveled to Ann Arbor, MI for camp onboarding with five other athletes from schools including University of Minnesota, University of Georgia, Middlebury College (Vermont), Drexel University (Philadelphia), and Oxford Brookes (UK) . Almost six weeks long, the FISU men’s camp split training time between Michigan Rowing Association facilities on the Huron River in Ann Arbor, and the eight-lane buoyed course on Ford Lake in Ypsilanti .

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Early in camp, the team competed in a pairs matrix, methodically switching oarsmen, to determine a speed rank order . This gave Hartsuff his baseline for sorting lineups . The camp overlapped with RowFest (July 11–19) on Lake Ford, USRowing’s summer domestic championship—a major community sports festival and multi-category regatta combining historically separate summer regattas into one nine-day event . The team did not participate in RowFest due to its scheduling, but assisted with operations during free time .

The premier pre-FISU warmup was August 8–9 at the 142nd Royal Canadian Henley Regatta (RCHR) in St . Catharines, Ontario .

Coach Hartsuff recruited two rowers from Purdue’s 2026 ACRA gold medal M1v8+, his coxswain from Michigan’s 2026 M2v8+, and entered the Men’s Championship Eight event under the moniker “PennAC/USA .” They are identified on the Canadian Henley results table as “WUC 2026 .” This is the pinnacle division of the RCHR—attracting elite national team development boats, international entries, and other all-star line-ups . The event attracted 10 entries, requiring two heats on August 8, the top three heat finalists advancing to the final on August 9 . As chance would have it, Young and his teammates drew Heat 2, the fastest of the day .

This crew’s first row together (Young in bow) was in the pre-race warm-up . Despite that disadvantage, they turned in a respectable 5:48 .88, fifth out of five but almost two seconds faster than Heat 1’s third place finisher (Wisconsin, 5:50 .39) .

In the next day’s final, California Rowing Club (CRC), coached by 2004 Olympic Men’s Eight Gold Medal coach Mike Teti, won the event in 5:41 .87, two lengths open water over second place UBC (the Canadian FISU M8+) . For a rough comparison, CRC matched Purdue’s 2026 ACRA M1v8+ gold medal (5:41 .66) and trailed the Huskies’ 2026 IRA gold medal (5:37 .49) .

Young’s assessment: “Well, considering we WSU’S FINNLEY YOUNG (27) GETS INTO never rowed the eight USA GEAR. PHOTO: DYLAN HENRIKSEN

together until that race it wasn’t too bad, but we learned we still had work to do .”

The team traveled two hours east from Saint Catharines to London, Ontario for the World University Championships . Hosted

by Western University at their boathouse on Fanshawe Lake, this year’s event featured student athletes from 20 countries . Hudson Boat Works, just three miles from the boathouse, was the main sponsor . Rowers lived in an Olympic-style athlete village on campus, complete with dining plan . The US squad rowed in multiple boat classes, including small boats and the 8+ . Young competed in the Men’s Pair with Ethan Campbell (Middlebury 26) finishing fourth in their semi-final, narrowly beating Spain and Norway . The Men’s 8+ event had just six entries, with a semi-final to determine lane assignments . The US finished sixth—surely disappointing, but for aspiring elite rowers an important first-hand look at their competition beyond the United States . Young summarized his camp and FISU Championships experience this way: I had a great time training and racing on the US World University team this summer . Competing with and against such high caliber athletes from ACRA and IRA schools will be forever valuable . Going from zero rowing experience, to walking on to WSU, to representing my country in just three years? Something I never would have expected .

Talented ball players (foot, base, or basket) dream of pro careers, big money, and sports celebrity trading cards . Olympic sport athletes dream of wearing USA gear on the international stage . Back for his senior year, Young will bring world-class electricity to the Ken Abbey Shellhouse . For all we know, Young’s teammates may see red, white and blue sparks shooting off him like a Van de Graaff generator celebrating Fourth of July .

—Dave Emigh (73) and Rich Ray (80)

Dad Weighs In To say I am proud of Finnley is an understatement .

Before he was born, I wanted a kid who would attend WSU, become a student-athlete, feel some of what I felt as a hurdler under Coach John Chaplin . I was redshirting when WSU won the 1982 Pac-10 Track and Field Championships, but my years as a member of that team shaped the rest of my life . Since Finnley was a walk-on four years ago, I have watched him grow stronger, faster, and more determined . Seeing him invited onto the National Team and rowing at the World University Championships took my breath away . Doing it while making honor roll every year in a double major is more than any parent can reasonably ask . Both of us will always be grateful to WSU and Cougar Crew for making it possible . Pull hard Finnley, and Go Cougs!

—Kevin Young (87)

Another WSU Contribution: Finley Luther Building the National Team

USRowing creates National Teams from scratch . Crews at FISU regattas are enrolled or just-graduated college athletes . In the USRowing athlete hierarchy, they are between U19 (Junior-level/ High School) and U23 (Pre-Elite) teams . U23 squads feed the top-level Senior National Team, representing the US in World Championship and Olympic regattas . This year, in addition to Cedar Cunningham (22) making the Senior National Team a second time, and Finnley Young (27) making the World University squad, WSU’s first-boat coxswain Finley Luther (27) was invited to intern at the U19 World Championships training camp at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, CA .

Selection and training lasted forty days, concluding with team travel to the U19 World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, August 6–9 . Luther assisted athletes with schedule management, transportation and equipment . He helped coaching staff with rigging, hand timing, video and observation . Luther spent hours in coaching launches observing and recording practices, joining athletes in tech and data review, observing injury recovery and prevention in physical therapy sessions, helping lead weight-lifting workouts under direction from strength and conditioning coaches .

Finley wrote: This was a last-minute decision . I learned of the opportunity ten days before camp began in June . Coach Brevick discovered it through the USRowing High Performance Pathways program .

He advised me, I was interviewed and accepted the position, all in the span of ten days . I knew I would not join the team in Bulgaria, but could not have been more excited . I was able to sit with some of the best athletes in the country, watch their rowing, observe their efforts and attitudes, and begin to feel what it takes to be the best . I was privileged to assist an elite-level coaching staff that readily answered questions, explained unfamiliar techniques and concepts and made me feel real progress as a coxswain and aspiring coach . I have reams of notes that will help build my coxing skills and maybe also help raise Cougar Crew to the next level .

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2026 Graduates

Off the Snake and on to something new This year’s seniors appear to be well on their way to the next big thing . If they’re fortunate, a few of their crew buddies will be good friends for decades to come . —Editor Zack Brandt is a three-year oarsman from Brush Prairie, WA where he was an offensive lineman on the Hockinson High School football team . As a freshman at Clark Community College, Zack began powerlifting, competing in multiple state championships and posting two state records . At the 2021 USPA National Championships, Zack earned bronze in the 83kg weight class .

As a senior, Zack stroked the M1v8+ and served as Recruitment Coordinator . He also led morning weightlifting and graduated cum laude in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics .

According to Zack, Cougar Crew taught him time management and the love of hard work . Zack has commenced his career as a process engineer at Solenis in Vancouver, WA .

Frank Coddington came to Pullman from Moscow, ID, rowed all four years, serving as Historian/Webmaster his junior year and Commodore his senior year . A magna cum laude graduate in Criminology, Coddington believes rowing gave him valuable leadership and teamwork skills; helped him develop personal resilience and discipline and gave him memories and friends to last a lifetime . Currently working for Kestra Medical Technologies of Kirkland, he is helping deliver potentially life-saving technology to at-risk patients in cardiac recovery .

Sarah Popowicz is a three-year coxswain from Kenmore, WA .

She began rowing in high school, coxing for Inglemoor Crew starting in 2018, rising to Senior Captain in 2021-2022 . Sarah graduates with a BA in Landscape, Nursery and Greenhouse management with a minor in Horticulture . As a senior, she was elected Vice President of the Horticulture Club and worked in the teaching greenhouse . Rowing helped her be patient while both learning and teaching . She has been hired by the City of Pullman Department of Parks and Recreation .

Dylan Reeves came to Pullman from Sammamish, where he learned the sport at Sammamish Rowing Association beginning in 2019 . A second-place finish in the M1v8 at the 2022 Northwest Youth Regionals secured entry to Youth Nationals his senior year .

At WSU, he rowed four years while studying Neuroscience and participating in brain research . Reeves says the stability, community and friendships of rowing helped him prepare for medical school . Now in Palo Alto, CA, working as a medical scribe at Stanford Hospital, Reeves is preparing medical school applications .

—Finley Luther (27), Publisher

Austin Cole is a four-year oarsman and a native of Pullman . He earned a BS in Civil Engineering with honors and credits his time on the Snake for instilling the values of reliability, teamwork and a strong work ethic . Cole says the challenges of rowing gave him self-knowledge and physical fitness in equal measure . He now heads to Missoula, MT for a position as project engineer at Prospect Construction, a heavy civil contractor specializing in water and wastewater treatment facilities .

Mike Petro rowed his junior and senior years . At Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane, he played trombone in band and pep band and participated in the speech and debate teams where he was involved in the YMCA Mock Trial and Youth Government . As a high school junior, Petro was elected the seventy-first Youth Attorney General of Washington . He learned to row his junior year, representing the team in the single scull at the ACRA national championship . He went on to make the M2v8+ in his senior year .

Petro will be pursuing an MBA with International Business Concentration from WSU’s Carson College of Business and plans to join coach Brevick as a volunteer assistant coach in the coming season .

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2026 GRADUATING SENIORS, L-R: AUSTIN COLE, MIKE PETRO, FRANK CODDINGTON, ZACK BRANDT, DYLAN REEVES. PHOTO: FINLEY LUTHER.

L-R: M1V8+ FINLEY LUTHER (27), ZACK BRANDT (26), SIMON SCHMIDT (28), FRANK CODDINGTON (26), FINNLEY YOUNG (27), DYLAN REEVES (26), AIDAN KENNEDY (27), AUSTIN COLE (26), TREY AQUINO (27); M2V8+ ZACH SCHULER (28), JUAN GOMEZ-SANCHEZ (28), CARSON SNELL (28), ROWAN WYETH (28), CHIRON SUSEE (27), MIKE PETRO (26), OWEN LAUB (27), ROCCO FORTE (27), AINA BISHOP (28). PHOTO: FINLEY LUTHER.

LATE APRIL TRAINING IN THE CATHEDRAL. L-R: M2V8+, M1V8+.

SENIOR SARAH POPOWICZ BEGAN ROWING IN HIGH SCHOOL FOR INGLEMOOR CREW IN KENMORE, WA. HER SENIOR YEAR, SARAH COXED THE M3V8+.

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Two years to the LA Games Kari and Cedar; the Conversation Continues Cedar Cunningham (22) is in the midst of his second full cycle of national team selection regattas, high-altitude training, and World Rowing competitions in Europe . He’s attracting rowing media attention and has been invited to the newest global rowing event, the Shanghai Sprints, this September in China .

When I spoke with him recently, Cunningham told me he is taking the pace of training, racing and international travel in stride, heeding the advice of Coach Brevick to focus on one rowing piece at a time and be present in the moment . “I feel like training for the Olympics is no different than for Cougar Crew . Dreaming of the world’s stage and being on the podium is incredibly motivating, but that feeling isn’t there all the time . You have to enjoy the stroke you’re on, take in the moment, appreciate the little wins and the process,” Cunningham said . “That’s what Peter Brevick taught us . Take a second at the end of a row to just sit and look at the Snake River, the most beautiful place to row . I stand by that to this day .”

Since last we heard from him via video at Cougar Crew Days in March, Cunningham has won gold and bronze medals at World Cups II and III, and continues to grow in confidence, speed, and focus . Everything centers on the goal of making the 2028 US Olympic Team in Los Angeles . “The ultimate goal is gold in LA .

Every intermediate goal has to align with that . I felt very confident in my ability to earn a spot on the team this year; now my focus is shifting from domestic competition to matching the speed of international competitors,” he said . “I want to be in contention for a [world championship] medal this year, which would keep me on a smooth, upward trajectory toward 2028 .”

Cunningham’s training and competition are keeping him on that path . In March 2026, he hit new PRs in 2,000- and 6,000-M erg tests, followed in April by a decisive M1x win over 2024 Olympic Gold Medalist Sholto Carnegie of Great Britain at the Lenny Peters Cup in High Point, NC . The Peters Cup website describes him as “…a breakout star from Washington State University…” and “a primary force in the US sculling pipeline .”

In April, Cunningham participated in the National Selection Regatta (NSR), the event that decides singles and pairs for the US roster at the World Cups and World Championships . Cunningham placed third in the single at NSR, behind Sam Melvin (Columbia 19), gold medalist two months later in the M1x at World Cup II in Plovdiv, Bulgaria (June 12–14) and bronze in the same event at World Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland (June 26–28) . Second place

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was six-time National Team member and frequent teammate Jacob Plihal (Northeastern 18) .

In May, the national team traveled to Big Bear Lake, CA, for high-altitude training as part of preparation for the international season and to test a potential pre-Olympic training site . Also in May, Cunningham was interviewed by retired (and celebrated) Philadelphia Inquirer sportswriter Mike Jensen for Rowing News magazine . He appears on the cover of the August edition . (www . rowingnews .com) June was all about the World Cups . The US typically attends the second and third world cups of the circuit, in Plovdiv and Lucerne .

In Plovdiv, Cunningham placed fifth in the M2x with James Wright (Stanford 23) . This was Wright’s senior national team debut . “We got into the double together two weeks before the first race, with no expectations on performance,” Cunningham said . “This was a solid finish against some extremely fast competition .”

Cunningham also teamed up with five-time National Team member Sophia Vitas (Wisconsin 16), winning gold in the Mix2x at both World Cups II and III . Vitas finished ninth at the 2024 Paris Games in the W2x . “Sophia is an excellent rower . She was able to match my stroke perfectly, allowing me to just race and not think about rhythm . The coaches spent a lot of time rigging the boat so we could match up, which is key,” he said . “Winning both mixed events this season was awesome . I hope I get the chance to do it again against some stiffer competition at Worlds .”

The national team spent the week between World Cup regattas training in northern Italy, where Cunningham switched partners in the M2x, joining Jacob Plihal . Together, they earned bronze in World Cup III . “The prep wasn’t perfect, and neither was the regatta,” Cunningham said of the race on the Rotsee course in Lucerne . “We fought our way into the A final through heats and semis, but we trusted ourselves and our race plan, and pushed through the field in the last 500 meters to place third, one second off gold .”

In July, the team was in Princeton, New Jersey, for Selection Camp 2, completing the team roster before the final training camp ahead of the World Championships in Amsterdam (August 24–30) . Cunningham confirmed he was named to the team to compete in the quad . “The coaches ultimately decide which

events we race . This year was based on selection camp, injuries, and NSR results . For the World Cups, the coaches decided to prioritize the double . The Cups are a great time to try new lineups, test our speed, and bring those data points back to Selection Camp 2,” he said . “Speed and technical precision are obvious differences between the quad and double . The competition is fierce in both, but any country can have two good scullers . The competition is broader in the double, so you never know which country you will actually be racing in the last 250 meters .”

Cunningham was named in July to the US contingent participating in a new international elite event, the World Rowing Shanghai Sprints, September 26–28 . According to World Rowing, the event will “bring together 88 athletes from the eight best teams in the world, competing across four boat classes in a fastpaced, knockout-format regatta . Races will take place over a 500meter, two-lane course on a highly iconic waterway in the heart of the city, delivering an intense sprint-style rowing showcase at the highest levels .” World Rowing President Jean-Christophe Rolland said the event is “creating a spectacular new stage for the world’s best rowers and enabling a recurring showcase of our sport at the highest levels .” Teams from the Netherlands, Great Britain, China, Romania, Ireland, United States, Germany, and the World Team will compete for prestige and prize money . At deadline, Cunningham was unsure what events he will race but said he’s looking forward to this novel racing format . “I’m super excited for another racing opportunity and the chance to compete against other

nations and test out my sprinting skills ahead of LA,” he said . “It’s an honor anytime I get the chance to represent our country .”

Rounding out the fall schedule, the main event will be the Fall Speed Order, an early season test, and other October races still to be determined .

As the Olympics edge closer, Cunningham is now four years into his post-collegiate rowing regimen with less than two years until the LA games . “Physically and mentally, I’m holding up well .

I love the sport . I love the team . I love the grind . And, importantly,

Lights Take Note Sam Melvin (Columbia 19) won the M1x at the National Selection Regatta (NSR) in April, making him top male sculler in the US . This August, at the 2026 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam, NL, he was 0 .11 seconds shy of bronze . Melvin rowed Lightweight at Columbia, but he’s now 180 lbs . At just six feet, he’s the Jalen Brunson of US sculling . Second at NSR was Jacob Plihal, a native of Vashon Island . Third was our own Cedar Cunningham . Cunningham is 6’8”; Plihal is 6’10” .

Apparently, size isn’t everything .

WORLD ROWING CUP III, LUCERNE, JUNE 26–28. JACOB PLIHAL (BOW) AND CEDAR CUNNINGHAM, USA M2X, ENROUTE TO THE BRONZE.

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I’m learning to love recovery,” he said . “After two and a half hours in the boat, you don’t exactly get out feeling your best . At this stage, fending off injury is just as important as training hard .”

Motivation comes from seeing his goal in front of him and being on the podium . “That feeling of achievement is incredibly powerful,” he said . He also reflects on his rowing roots on the Snake River and knows that Cougar Crew nation is cheering him on from afar . “I deeply appreciate everything the Cougar Crew family has already done to back my journey!” he said . “Knowing I have that community in my corner means a lot when I’m lining up on the world stage . Chatting with Paul Enquist has been a huge help, but I love staying in touch with all Cougs .”

—Kari Ranten (80) Kari Buringrud Ranten rowed 1976–1980, serving two terms as commodore. A Murrow grad, she worked in daily newspapers for 20 years. Now retired as Regional VP of Communications at Skagit Regional Health. Married to Steve Ranten (79), Kari lives in Burlington, WA and has two grown children.

WORLD ROWING CUP III, LUCERNE, JUNE 26–28, USA M2X BRONZE MEDALISTS SHARING CREDIT. BELOW, ON THE PODIUM WITH SOPHIA VITAS.

2026 Video coverage and results: World Rowing Cup II, Plovdiv, Mix2x: https://shorturl .at/2s6pI World Rowing Cup III, Lucerne, M2x: https://shorturl .at/R1poA World Rowing Cup III, Lucerne, Mix2x: https://shorturl .at/g89iC World Rowing Championships, Amsterdam: https://shorturl .at/X6044 .

Shanghai Sprints, September 26–27: https://shorturl .at/PEKMJ .

ALL PHOTOS: USROWING BY ROW2K.

WORLD ROWING CUP II, JUNE 12–14. GOLD MEDALISTS CEDAR CUNNINGHAM AND SOPHIA VITAS, USA MIX2X, BENDING THEIR SHAFTS.

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Emigh’s Observations: 2026 ACRA National Championships May 15–17, Melton Hill Lake, Oak Ridge, TN According to 1984 Olympic gold medalist Paul Enquist, the faster you get, the smaller the finish margins . At the 2026 American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) Championships, some of WSU’s margins were measured in feet and inches . Finishing on the positive side of a one-foot margin validates the work you put in to get there . Finishing on the short side tells you there is still more work to be done . This year’s Cougs found both at the 2026 ACRAs .

Ninth Overall Until last year, ACRA used time trials as a first test for sorting boats by speed . Updated ACRA rules mandate that all events follow the same progression system . The new rules created a uniform, predictable format for every boat class, relying on traditional heats rather than a mix of time trials and side-by-side racing . The ACRA board decided that traditional side-by-side heats provide the fairest method for athletes to advance, allowing every crew an immediate, direct racing opportunity against their opponents . Heats began on Friday, progressed to semi-finals on Saturday and finals on Sunday . This year, 84 squads entered the regatta, fielding 401 crews in 176 events .

WSU’s pre-race seedings and finishes: Event M1v8+ M2v8+ M3v8+ MN8+

Seed 11 of 29 9 of 19 8 of 10 6 of 18

Finish 9th Place 8th Place 7th Place 6th Place

ON YOUR HAND-HELD: REAL-TIME DRONE-TO-PHONE VIDEO COVERAGE ALLOWS TEAMMATES TO WATCH ENTIRE CONTESTS.

Novice Eight (MN8+) The Novice eight had a fine regatta with a second in the heats and a third in the semis . They rowed a solid grand final, in contention through the early action . “We were proud of the novices and their racing,” said Assistant Coach Evan Thornton . “In the end, WSU did not slow down but the others went a bit faster .” WSU finished sixth out of 18 entries, an improvement of two places over 2025 .

Third Varsity Eight (M3v8+) 2026 marks WSU’s first-ever entry in the M3v8+ event . The progression in this event was straight to the finals . WSU was contending for a spot in the grand final, but a crab in the last 200 meters sent them to the B final . WSU established an early lead in the B final and rowed away to a 5 .5 second win, for seventh overall .

These athletes are the base on which coming season’s crews will be built . The ACRA Championship was the first time they competed together as a crew . Seat racing determined who raced in this boat . All good signs for seasons to come .

Second Varsity Eight (M2v8)

MELTON HILL LAKE, TN: WSU’S M2V8+ AT THE ACRA START LINE. L-R: ZACH SCHULER (28), JUAN GOMEZ-SANCHEZ (28), CARSON SNELL (28), ROWAN WYETH (28), CHIRON SUSEE (27), MIKE PETRO (26), OWEN LAUB (27), ROCCO FORTE (27), AINA BISHOP (28). PHOTO: APEX EDGE MEDIA (DAVID POPOWICZ).

The WSU M2v8 earned a second place finish in the opening heat, qualifying for the semi-finals . Down off the start, WSU rowed back through Michigan (after losing to them in the GW Invite) to secure the second place finish . A fifth-place finish in the semifinal placed them in the B final . About missing the grand final, Junior Owen Laub said “It will sting for a while, but we don’t think the race that we rowed was terrible .” WSU had an intense race with UCLA at the front of the B final . Closing fast in the last 100, they had to settle for second; eighth overall in a field of 19 . “The CO UGA R C R E W. COM

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Single (M1x) Jack Brady, serving first as the team’s spare oarsman, also entered his first singles race at ACRA, finishing second in the D Final .

ACRA racing continues to be fierce . Solid programs are producing consistently strong finishes, year after year . Significantly, no single program has achieved dominance . In the last seven ACRA Championships there have been seven different M1v8+ winners .

This year, there were two former champions in the Grand Final, two in the B Final, and two in the C Final . “My goal,” said Coach Brevick “is to enter and qualify all of our eights for the Grand Finals and then to compete for medals in each event .” This year we came closer to the first part of that goal: qualifying all our eights for the Grand Finals . Incoming Commodore Owen Laub reports that there are more than three eights potentially returning next year—a good omen for seasons to come .

—Dave Emigh (73) Dave earned his bachelors in 1973 and his MS in 1979. He retired in 1994 as Program Director, Men’s and Women’s Rowing; and Head Coach, Men’s Rowing, at Oregon State University in Corvallis. Dave and spouse Jill reside in Walla Walla, WA, where they own and operate Shady Lawn Antiques.

2026 ACRA Results: https://legacy .herenow .com/results/#/races/21432/results

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OFFICIAL FINISH LINE PHOTO SHOWING PLACING IN THE M1V8+ B FINAL. WSU THIRD, 1.2 SECONDS BEHIND SECOND PLACE MIDDLEBURY AND 0.553 SECONDS SEPARATING THE LAST FOUR CREWS.

Cougs had good energy and speed,” said Coach Peter Brevick .

“They kept the boat up and moving . We were open water down at 1,500 and closed to eight seats at the finish .”

Varsity Eight (M1v8+) Twenty-nine schools entered the M1v8+, requiring five opening heats . The top two in each heat (plus the six next best times) qualified for three semi-finals . WSU finished second in the opener .

They were not as fortunate in the semi-final where only the top two advanced . Orange Coast established a dominant lead, and Minnesota’s powerful start put them ahead of the Cougs . WSU began closing steadily on second place over the last 500 meters .

With the crews trading bow balls in the last 10 to 20 strokes, the final stroke preserved Minnesota’s lead by just 0 .096 seconds . In the Sunday B Final, once again the Cougs’ solid endurance helped them close fast over the final 1,000 . This time, WSU won the photo finish for third with just 0 .553 seconds separating the last four crews . Finishing ninth of 29 put the Cougs two places ahead of their eleventh-place seed . “Every boat had a tough row,” said Coach Brevick . “They regrouped, stayed focused and had a last race that they were happy with .”

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PULLMAN, MARCH 20. THE AUTHOR PRESENTING HIS EPONYMOUS COACHING AWARD TO THIS YEAR’S WINNER: EVAN THORNTON (25).

Get Set for Fall Racing!

Head of the Spokane Saturday October 17 Head of the Lake Sunday November 1

Cougar Rowing Association Redux: Year One and Counting June 30 ended year one of the second Cougar Rowing Association (first begun in the 1980s, replaced by the CCAA in 2005) .

June 30 also concluded the first fiscal year (FY25-26) of our business-model makeover as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation . It’s been a busy year with important watershed moments .

The board of directors has recently implemented two major Jim Austin (75) decisions . First, a change in the Vice President, CRA number of seats on the board; second, a new and very important committee . Mirroring the prior CCAA model, the number of board seats was expanded from eleven to thirteen, adding two seats for the team . The board is once again made up of seven alumni elected by our entire membership, and six current athletes, chosen by the team .

Money Management & Elections To pave the way for greater flexibility in organizational money management, the board created a Finance Committee . A charter was drafted to establish board oversight and direction for the seven-member committee . Initial Finance Committee members were nominated and appointed by vote of the board, based on financial sector and investment experience . One committee seat is reserved for the Commodore or other designated team member . First on the committee’s agenda is to find, vet and hire a professional investment management service by December 31 .

Under the committee’s supervision, the chosen wealth management firm or registered investment advisor will invest CRA funds earmarked for endowment purposes .

Broader objectives Like most successful rowing clubs, part of our unstated mission includes support for the development of our sport generally .

Recently the board established a Rower Development Fund to assist Coug athletes attending summer camps and to encourage grads pursuing international ambitions—recently Finnley Young (27), rowing at an elite development camp in Ypsilanti, MI, and currently National Team member Cedar Cunningham (22), now in his third year at the USRowing Training Center in Sarasota, FL, preparing for the 2028 Los Angeles Games .

Our next big lift is the purchase of five 8-passenger vans for the daily round-trip to Wawawai . WSU Motorpool rental rates rose dramatically several years ago, grabbing a big chunk of our budget . Each van purchased by the CRA will save the team several thousand dollars . A portion of the savings will be designated for the purchase of future replacement vehicles . Purchase of our own transport fleet will reduce overhead by around $26,000 per year .

To support this money-saving effort, make your contribution at: www .cougarcrew .com/support . In the drop-down menu, select “Team Operations Fund” and make a note specifying “Vans .”

—Jim Austin (75) Vice-President, Cougar Rowing Association Commodore as a senior, Jim retired in 2016 from 37 years of dental practice. In 1997 he took on a second career in commercial real estate management. He is helping to build a national recruiting network, chairing the Shell House Committee and spearheaded 501(c)(3) incorporation. Jim and Kim Austin have established an endowment for rowing scholarships at WSU.

Equipment and Staff Last winter, thanks to generous donors, the CRA purchased two pairs and two singles—reflecting the growing emphasis on smallboat training for fine-tuning technique . In early June, UREC began its hiring process for our new assistant coach . To ensure success, the board drafted a Seasonal Independent Contractor Agreement, allowing the CRA to hire Leon Maurer in early July . Doing so sealed Leon’s commitment to the team and began his onboarding early, allowing him to help Coach Brevick with summer recruiting while the university’s HR gears continued their slow, steady grind .

UREC officially hired Coach Maurer on August 7, at which point the independent contractor agreement was terminated .

THE CRA PLANS TO PURCHASE ONE VEHICLE PER YEAR FOR FIVE YEARS. THE TARGET IS A 2015 OR NEWER TOYOTA SIENNA LE OR XLE, SEATING EIGHT, CHOSEN FOR ITS AVERAGE SERVICE LIFE OF 250–300K MILES. PURCHASED VEHICLES WILL SHOW 100K MILES OR LESS AND A MAXIMUM SALE PRICE OF $26,000. AT OUR CURRENT ANNUAL AVERAGE OF 6K MILES PER VEHICLE, VANS WILL BE REPLACED AT 14 YEARS, WELL BELOW REPORTED SERVICE LIFE.

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CCD 2026

Reunions, generosity on full display

Friends, teammates, and families gathered this March in Pullman for Cougar Crew Days 2026 . More than 270 alumni and friends enjoyed the chance to swap stories and reconnect, while also taking the opportunity to raise a record-breaking $195,000 to support WSU’s club rowing program .

The total includes proceeds from a live auction featuring a mix of retired rowing equipment, crew-centric arts and crafts and vacation packages; a paddle auction specifically for van and bus transportation to practice and events including the GW Invite; and another racing seat auction for inscription rights . Memorable quotes from seat auction winners will be visible on the inboard gunwales of the Kash Van Cleef, delighting and instructing rowers for seasons to come .

ALL PHOTOS BOB HUBNER, WSU PHOTO SERVICES.

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ROMANDO NASH , VICE PROVOST OF STUDENT AFFAIRS.

BOB ERNST, US NATIONAL TEAM AND UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON ROWING COACH.

Ice Breaker Kickoff

Take Me to the River

Friday night’s Ice Breaker, attended by 220, filled the Rec Center with conversations animated by the joyful reunions of alumni, current rowers, parents, coaches and friends . The Orr Trophy, claimed by Friday’s Class Day winners, went to the sophomore boat . Mike Klier (75) provided a look back at the life and contributions of WSU’s first coach, Bob Orr, for whom the Class Day trophy is named . Orr died in February 2025 at age 87 .

During a brief program, Struckmeyer Founder’s Awards were given to Tammy and Roger Crawford, Pam and Dave Yorozu, Jeanne and Kenny Yorozu, Steve Huhta, and Karl Huhta . On the following evening, Coach Struckmeyer startled guests by presenting a surprise Struck Award to keynote speaker retired Husky coach Bob Ernst . The Dave Emigh Coaches Award was given to Undergrad Assistant Coach Evan Thornton . The crimson and gray-clad group concluded the evening with a “Cougar One” bow group photo . The fully-restored bow remnant, including chevrons representing key victories in the “Cougar One,” will be installed at the entrance of WSU’s Chinook Building .

Saturday morning departure was clouded by uncertain weather but in the event, the whimsical river gods favored yet another alumni slow row with sunshine and flat water . More than 90 participated, including a women’s eight featuring Coach Tammy Crawford and most of her 1986 novice crew, victors that year over UW on the Montlake Cut . Other boats included a quad and three crews of parents with offspring . Hot coffee and sweet breakfast treats were in copious supply, courtesy of crew parent Charise Pruitt-Law .

BROTHERS KEN (76) AND DAVE YOROZU (78) TOUCHING HISTORY. BOTH WERE VBC MEMBERS WHEN THE “COUGAR ONE” BECAME THE FIRST NEW SHELL PURCHASED BY THE TEAM.

COACH TAMMY BOGGS CRAWFORD COXING HER 1986 NOVICE 8+.

FROM STROKE: TRACY LANDBOE, STACY MITCHUM, SANDRA BUCKLEY (SUB FOR JODI WINCHELL), STACEY BURGE, PAM SINGLE, MOE FLURY, BRENDA SMITH, SHARI SCHNEIDER.

What We Heard At The Banquet Opening the program, WSU’s Vice Provost of Student Affairs, Romando Nash, delivered a warm welcome-back greeting, noting that the loyalty and generosity of Cougar Crew alumni is well known in Pullman . Nash observed that the groundswell of support for Cougar Crew has deep foundations in the discipline, resilience and teamwork taught by rowing . He said it’s obvious that these qualities stay with alumni long after graduation . “Cougar pride,” said Nash, “stays with you for life…”

“You guys are doing it right . That’s why I wanted to come here .”

Those are the words of Bob Ernst, legendary National Team and University of Washington rowing coach, spoken in his keynote address, in which he shared his “ardent” support of the club rowing program at WSU . Ernst engaged his audience with a status report on intercollegiate rowing in an era of huge NCAA athletic budgets that rarely support the historically all-comers approach to rowing . Club rowing programs, he stressed, are key to fostering a passion for rowing and support for walk-on athletes . Walk-ons— those with no previous rowing experience prior to college—are essential to sustaining a pipeline for collegiate and national teams, Ernst said . Ernst himself was a walk-on at UC Irvine and noted “most of you who rowed in this room are walk-ons .” That included his wife, Ellen Pottmeyer Ernst, also in attendance, who learned to row on the Snake River before heading to the University of Washington where she earned three national championships from 1981 to 1983 .

Ernst sees a growing national infrastructure supporting club rowing, including competitions like the Western Intercollegiate

CONSULTING THE AUTHORITATIVE TEXT (CHINOOK). L-R: MARK PETRIE (80), PHIL SPRUTE (81), MITCH VAN WORMER (81), MIKE PABISZ (81).

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The gang’s all here. As the Icebreaker ends, another group panorama surrounds the David M Emigh in the Student Recreation Center. Photo: Bob Hubner, WSU Photo Services.

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FIRST COMMODORE JIM VERELLEN (73) PRESENTED THE ORR TROPHY TO THE WINNING SOPHOMORE CLASS. L-R: DREW PERRY, SIMON SCHMIDT, ROWAN WYETH, CARSON SNELL, AINA BISHOP, JUAN GOMEZ-SANCHEZ, JACKSON MACLEAN, ZACH SCHULER, KAINALU BARSANA-SZEWCZYK.

Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships. In his work as a consultant, he has recommended college crews, among them UCLA, form a rowing club program to complement a Division 1 athletic department team. Doing so, he tells clients, will boost roster size, add opportunities to compete, and help grow financial support.

Complimenting Cougar Crew on more than 50 years of success as a club, Ernst said the program has set an example for others.

Surveying his audience of close to 300, he exclaimed: “You guys are so far ahead of the wave right now by building your own support system!” Validating Ernst’s point, this year’s banquet audience raised an event-record sum to support Cougar Crew.

In a video segment, Cougar Crew alum and national team member Cedar Cunningham (22) expressed gratitude for the support he receives from coaches, teammates, and alumni as he trains and prepares for world competition. “My accomplishments are your accomplishments. I could not do it without you,” he said.

“I love seeing the growth of the team and, not only is the pursuit of excellence real, the impact of that pursuit is also real. We are having an impact not just on the excellence of our team but on young Coug lives. We are really building a family.”

A PAIR OF CUSTOM-MADE ADIRONDACK LAWN CHAIRS WITH COUGAR ROWING INSIGNIA SPARKED SOME LIVELY BIDDING.

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COUGAR ROWING SIBLINGS CELEBRATE THE LATEST RACING EIGHT IN THE SHELLHOUSE.

Two families synonymous with Cougar Crew, the Isemingers and the Van Cleefs, were celebrated for their impact on the program with three shell dedications kicking off the program.

Alice and Ernie Iseminger donated two pairs to continue to build the small boat fleet. The pairs were named for two grandchildren, Chase Reed and Hayden Reed, as nearly two dozen family members looked on. A new-to-the-program Pocock eight was christened Kash Van Cleef in honor of Van Cleef’s rowing career and service as novice men’s coach from 1983-85. The very surprised and emotional Van Cleef (84) was joined by his sister and fellow Cougar Crew rower Sherri Van Cleef Bodman (81) and other family members. Van Cleef was Iseminger’s freshman coach. Iseminger (88) went on to serve as the program’s head coach and is a major benefactor. “Much of who I am and what I am is because of Kash Van Cleef,” Iseminger said. “I fell in love with this sport because of this man.”

—Kari Ranten (80)

* CCD26 generated $247,000 gross and $195,000 net; including $62,500 from Raise the Paddle and $30,300 from the Kash Van Cleef seat auction.

Financial Snapshot Fiscal Year 2025–2026 Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, the sacrifices of current athletes, and the conservative management of Head Coach Peter Brevick, net income for the fiscal year ended June 30 was approximately $74,000. Revenue from all sources came to $527,000, including $77,000 from UREC, $22,000 in contributions to the Cougar Rowing Association (CRA), and $21,000 from endowment interest income. Cougar Crew Days has solidified its role as our primary financial engine. CCD26 revenue totaled $247,000 with expenses of $52,000 for a net of $195,000.

Our 2026 reunion generated $4.75 for every dollar spent. Most important: the Crew contributed nearly $85,000 via dues, Rent-a-Rower, Football Parking and Ergathons.

On the expense side, employee compensation reached $175,000, 39% of total expenses of $453,000. Regulated by the State of Washington, compensation is our largest expense category and is not a number we can readily adjust. Travel, race entry fees, and USRowing dues came to $130,000 (29%), supplies and maintenance 9%, and WSU van rental 9%.

Finally, our endowments grew more than $73,000 across eight funds. Strongest growth showed in the Huhta Family Cougar Crew Endowment, the Iseminger Family Cougar Crew Club Endowment, Jim and Kim Austin’s Varsity Club Crew Scholarship, the Anderson Legacy Cougar Crew Endowment, and the Struckmeyer-Burkhart Men’s Crew Endowment. Our aggregate endowment balance now exceeds $876,000.

—Jim Austin (75), Vice-President, CRA —Scott Morgan (74), Treasurer, CRA

EXPENSES 2026 9% Van Rental 28% Salaries & Wages 23% Team Travel

10% Employee Benefits

9% Supplies & maintenance

6% Dues & Fees 11% Cougar Crew Days

2% Other 1% Team Gear

$453,000 REVENUES 2026 16% Team Fundraising & Dues 47% Cougar Crew Days

4% Cougar Rowing Association 4% Endowment Income

ENDOWMENT GROWTH $ 1,000,000

6% UREC Allocation

$876,000

800,000

9% University Support (Benefits)

600,000

2% Other Donations

400,000

13% Power 10

$527,000

200,000

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2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

2026

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Technology In Rowing The CoxBox

Charting a Sandbar

Feeling boat speed climb, the crew naturally interpreted that as a result of their own effort when in fact it was due to a large decrease in drag. In order to meet the goal of the eight-minute piece (constant rating, constant pressure), my crew reduced their applied force, believing they were inappropriately accelerating the boat. The deceleration period separated the crew from their sense of correct boat speed established at the beginning of the piece. Upon exiting the effects of the sandbar, they guessed incorrectly at the appropriate applied force. Empowered by that information, I encouraged my competition to take the inner lane on races back to the shell house. They did so willingly, believing that the shortest course was the fastest route. Bottom drag not only slows the boat, it kills the swing by mysteriously and unexpectedly spoiling the momentum of the shell. That knowledge gave my boat an advantage.

In February, 2020 I was coxing for the Masters program at San Diego Rowing Club. During the last of a series of eight-minute pieces, the velocity profile of the boat (see map) showed an unexplainable drop in speed (deceleration) followed by a symmetric, proportional increase (acceleration). CoxBox GPS position data, plotted onto a map of Mission Bay, showed that I had steered near the edge of one of the bay islands. The minimum in the velocity profile coincided with the closest approach to land.

Timing data showed we were training at low tide.

Our location at minimum velocity coincided with a point known for the episodic presence of a sandbar. In steering the shortest course, I had taken the boat into shallow water. As the wake of the shell interacted with the seafloor it increased the wake drag; the boat slowed down as it approached the sandbar and sped back up as we passed to the other side.

The boat speed after passing over the sandbar is less than before the sandbar. I suggest this is a psychological consequence of the acceleration that occurred as the sandbar fell astern.

MAP OF MISSION BAY, SAN DIEGO, CA WITH COXBOX-DERIVED ROUTE OVERLAID IN BLUE. THE SPEED PROFILE OF THE SEGMENT MAPPED APPEARS IN THE INSERT.

The CoxBox is a computer, GPS receiver, multi-axis accelerometer, audio amplifier and battery, enclosed in a buoyant waterproof container with display-screen front. The headset microphone, worn by every cox’n, is its most visible component. Using data from the internal sensors, the computer calculates and displays a variety of information, including stroke rate, total stroke count, boat speed as either a split time or a velocity, and distance traveled. The unit records all data collected for each stroke which can be downloaded via Bluetooth to a cellphone. The collected data can then be processed to quantify the performance of the boat.

In this article, I will illustrate the diagnostic power of the CoxBox with a real-life example and offer a simple suggestion for its use by any program.

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The Gold Standard: 2k Trials Of the many reasons cross-comparing finish times for head races over different years lacks merit, the easiest to illustrate, using CoxBox data, is the fact that a cox’n never steers the same course twice. Year-to-year course-lengths for a head race will never be the same. The real power of the CoxBox is not the real-time information provided to the cox’n, nor is it post-event analysis conducted prior to the next race. It is the routine analysis of the mundane data collected during the grind of daily practice. CoxBox data quantifying a series of simple-to-design speed-trials can answer the following race-relevant question: Given the performance of the boat today, what combination of stroke rate and load will maximize performance tomorrow? CoxBox data provides the means to seat-race a single boat. If switching rowers within the shell or swapping rowers in from the launch affects performance, the CoxBox will capture that result. In the modern

era, no one can hide in a CoxBox-equipped boat.

No rowing program today need rely on subjective measures of performance or the apples-to-oranges comparison of finish times from endurance events examined across different years. We race at 2,000 meters. The most relevant metric of performance is a 2,000m straight-line finish time corrected for wind, current, water temperature, and the deadweight of the crew, conducted routinely over a course of known depth. CoxBox-monitored 2,000m time-trials over our own racecourse can give us accurate assessments of that performance. It should be clear that the boat we measure today, even a boat with a set roster, will not be the boat we measure in two days, much less the boat that races in two weeks. The CoxBox is always gathering data. We are never more than a few minutes of analysis away from actionable insight.

—Mike Klier (75) Mike Klier may be as close as this magazine can come to a full-time staff writer and director of research. A student of Physics, Astronomy, and the human condition, Mike recently retired from a SoCal career in aerospace. He cuts and splits his own firewood in Ravensdale, WA.

AND IT FLOATS!

Editor’s note: The CoxBox by Nielsen-Kellerman (N-K) appeared in 1978, replacing the fiberboard megaphone, stopwatch and stroke watch until then the coxswain’s tool set. Postmillenium, competitors appeared: CoxMate, CoxOrb and CoxPro. N-K has approximately 90% market share, and all competitors match N-K’s cockpit cup mount and audio system.

In 2018, N-K introduced CoxBox GPS, the first satellite-integrated rowing data collection system. It remains the industry standard. Our program owns 11 CoxBoxes, two of them GPS. COXBOX PHOTOS: COURTESY NIELSENKELLERMAN, INC/© KEVIN LIGHT PHOTO.

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Alumni Notes

Joe Sudar: I Majored in Rowing I’ve joked about majoring in rowing since graduating in 2012. The further I get from school, the less of a joke it seems to be. WSU certainly gave me a wonderful education and meaningful experiences: I took creative writing from the professor that discovered Sherman Alexie. My Honors College thesis taught lessons about interrogating research and assessing fact, something that is very important in 2026. My first science class not only taught me about the scientific method and how we as a society use it, it also introduced me to my wife.

In spite of all WSU gave me, I’ve been employed as a direct consequence of my Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology only once. I entered the workforce as a social worker but quickly burned out. Desperate for something else, I eventually made my way to a Help Desk position and have worked my way up from there: Tech Analyst, Systems Administrator, Full-Stack Engineer, Developer Operations Engineer, and my current role as Operations Lead for a startup based in Seattle. Everything that helped me climb this ladder I learned as a member of Cougar Crew.

Crew taught me how to wake up early and put in hard work— essential for all the self-teaching it takes to learn software engineering while working full-time. Crew taught me that effort (and occasionally, agony…) are necessary to reach a goal, which helped me believe I could succeed despite more than fifty rejected resumés piled on my desk. I briefly worked three jobs in Seattle for money that qualified as “under the poverty line,” but cold mornings as a farmer’s market laborer were mild compared to icy splashes from the Snake River.

It’s no exaggeration to say that rowing for WSU is what told me I could succeed in a tech career. In my senior year, the team webmaster quit partway through the season. We needed a replacement, and Kramer Wahlberg (Class of 2011) offered to teach the fundamentals of web administration to anyone willing to do the work. That turned out to be me. I’d never done anything web-related before. Even my MySpace page was completely uncustomized, something unheard of among my Millennial peers. I was afraid of anything computer-related beyond basic usage, assuming they were too technical for me and I’d screw something up.

Kramer was patient and kind. He showed me how to style a webpage and how to post the pages I made to a web server. He taught me the fundamentals of Photoshop, and he answered any panicky question I had about why the site was suddenly chopped to pieces due to my missing some special character in one of the hundreds of lines of HTML. I resumed responsibility for cougarcrew.com in 2014 and have filled the Alumni Webmaster role ever since. During the interview that eventually landed me my first Help Desk position, I answered question after question with, “I don’t know,” my face turning appropriately crimson. The one thing I could say with confidence was, “But I can do your

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THE AUTHOR BIDDING AT COUGAR CREW DAYS 2026. PHOTO: BOB HUBNER, WSU PHOTO SERVICES.

website!” That skillset landed me the job, cementing in my mind a concrete contribution that Cougar Crew gave to me.

My relationship to the crew has not always been positive. I nearly quit freshman year, following a pattern I had come to expect: try, struggle, quit. As Alumni Webmaster I’ve faced nebulous requests, challenging problems, and screaming parents.

Part of the reason I don’t quit is the sense of duty and gratitude I feel for what the team has given me. Another part is that I’ve quit before, had to come back, and found a mess waiting for me. The last, crucial part is that I have skills that are useful, and enjoy the satisfaction of putting them to work for this community.

There’s more: I am a rower. I haven’t sat in a boat for years, but rowing is in my DNA. It is the me that grinds through hopelessness, that fights for my spot, that lasts through pain, and that understands effort as the most important currency in life. I am who I am because I majored in rowing.

—Joe Sudar (12) Software engineer Joe Sudar (12) has served as Alumni Webmaster since 2014. In 2010 Joe rowed in the first JV8 since 1982 to beat Gonzaga at the Fawley Cup and helped win the 2010 WIRA Team Points trophy with a bronze in the M2v8. In his senior year, he was in the Mv4 that edged the Buckeyes out of the ACRA Grand Final by less than a second. He lives in Seattle with wife and fellow Coug, Emma.

Alumni Notes

Cristy Cay Cook Recovery Project Christened February 1980, the racing eight Cristy Cay Cook (CCC) entered service with the Cougar Crew women as the namesake of a rower who died returning from practice in 1979. The shell was sold to Pacific Lutheran University, which passed her on to Commencement Bay Rowing Club (CBRC) about 1996, when she became a founding boat of that program. At the end of her service life, she was placed on display in CBRC’s second story ergometer room, restored and protected in a place of honor.

On June 24 of this year the CBRC Board voted to trade the CCC for the restored racing eight formerly known as the Golden Gate 1-1, ending seven years of episodic negotiation for the return of the CCC to Pullman. The Golden Gate had the lines and appearance of the Cougar One, but a 12-panel skin that is nailed to the keel on one-inch centers. Roger Payne, boatman and former Pocock craftsman, believes the Golden Gate was of pre-1970s vintage. Restoration began June 2 in the lower floor weight-room of the Chinook Building, formerly the Bookie.

A decommissioning ceremony honoring the competitive life of the Golden Gate was conducted June 10 by retired Lutheran pastor Dawna Svaren. On June 11 livery was struck from the bow in anticipation of the new name she will bear on display at CBRC.

The bright-work (internal bracing) was varnished June 24, the first event representing the building-up phase of the boat. Conn Findlay, the last owner of the shell, painted his riggers blue with marine epoxy paint that defied chemical removal but was eliminated by blasting with glass beads. Restoration resumed July 6 when the interior skin received five coats of varnish. The hull was turned and the outer skin was restored. Restoration was completed July 17.

Our debt of gratitude is extensive. Al McKenzie (UW 68), recovered the Golden Gate from the Belmont, CA boatyard belonging to the Estate of Conn Findlay and made her available to the project. Head Coach Peter Brevick has conducted all transport and storage. Varsity alumna Carolyn Welsh (97), ran for and was elected to the CBRC Board, then worked tirelessly over several years to persuade fellow CBRC board members and negotiate the trade. Joanne Greene, WSU UREC Director, provided the space needed to restore 60 feet of fragile cedar racing shell. Jim Verellen, first Commodore of Cougar Crew, authored the formal trade agreement. Consultants Steve Chapin (boat-builder) and Roger Payne (formerly of Pocock) have been generous with their knowledge and experience. CRA President Doug Engle has bent his six-foot-seven frame into the open cockpit of the Golden Gate through hour after hour of restoration.

Special thanks to the Cougar Crew men and Varsity women who assembled spontaneously to transport and load the Golden Gate into the Chinook building and back to Ken Abbey Shellhouse.

—Mike Klier (75)

AUGUST 7, CBRC BOAT HOUSE ON AMERICAN LAKE. FORMER GOLDEN GATE 1-1, RENAMED TILLIKUM, ENTERING ITS NEW HOME CARRIED BY CBRC BOARD MEMBER CAROLYN WELSH (97). WELSH ROWED ON WSU’S VARSITY WOMEN’S TEAM AND PERSUADED FELLOW CBRC BOARD MEMBERS TO MAKE THE TRADE. GOLDEN GATE 1-1, RESTORATION COMPLETE, THANKS TO MIKE KLIER (L) AND DOUG ENGLE. PHOTO: DOUG ENGLE

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Alumni Notes

Alex Carper: Zookeeping in Delaware Alexandrea “Alex” Carper (25), Women’s Commodore in the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 seasons, graduated with a degree in animal science and is now working full-time at the Brandywine Zoo in Wilmington, DE. The Zoo features animals from the tropical and temperate areas of North and South America, Asia and Africa—from more common species to the highly endangered.

Cougars are welcome.

Assigned to the Conservation Science and Learning department, Alex teaches the basics of respect and care for wildlife including, most importantly, habitat conservation. A key tool is iNaturalist, a free platform and mobile app Brandywine uses for building a crowdsource network focused on gathering and learning about biodiversity data and contributing data to global scientific research.

The educational talks Alex delivers, at the zoo and in traveling programs, include live animals like Susan Jr. (“SJ” for short), a prehensile-tailed skink and a staff favorite thanks to his strong stage presence, mischievous smile and dog-like enthusiasm at mealtime. A lizard native to the Soloman Islands northeast of Australia, prehensile-tailed skinks are the largest and the only herbivorous skink species. Unlike most reptiles, skinks live in communal groups and bear live young. Tree-dwellers, their prehensile tails help navigate the tree canopy. Presenters wear welders’ gloves for protection against the sharp claws essential for tree

climbing. SJ was named for his lizard mother or a zookeeper at the Birmingham Zoo, where he was born. He has lived at Brandywine since 2015.

In her free time, Alex enjoys hiking, birding, and conducting wildlife surveys in cooperation with local conservation agencies.

To date, she’s surveyed American kestrels, horseshoe crabs, diamondback terrapins, red-backed salamanders, and various bat and tick species. The Brandywine Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums—a network of institutions committed to providing animals with the highest standard of care and welfare, as well as educating the public and supporting wildlife conservation efforts locally and globally.

Ecology and Local Attractions Resting on the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain, the Lower Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay bioregion is an immense, robust ecosystem with huge estuaries and 12,000 miles of shoreline.

The Chesapeake watershed drains six states, mainly Maryland and Virginia; the Delaware River drains southern New Jersey, Delaware, and southeastern Pennsylvania. Separated by the Delmarva Peninsula, the watersheds are linked by the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Mixing fresh and saltwater, estuaries create aquatic nurseries and wetlands that act as storm barriers and water filters. Barrier Islands protect against Atlantic ocean surges.

Aquatic life includes Eastern oysters, striped bass, American eels and blue crabs. On the Atlantic Flyway, the region hosts millions of migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, and raptors. As with the Snake, agricultural runoff triggers algae blooms. Equally problematic is the rapidly rising sea level. Urban expansion crowds into habitats, endangers shorelines, blocks wildlife corridors.

It’s a splendid region but defenders of wildlife have a lot to defend here.

Travelers note: the summertime Chesapeake crab fest is a wild, hours-long outdoor feed based on steamed hard-shell blue crabs and lots of very cold beer. You might like it. Wilmington Rowing Center (www.wilmingtonrowing.org/wrc) and Baltimore Community Rowing (www.baltimorerowing.org) both have master’s programs if you’re in the area and happen to be looking for a workout. If you have a wildlife question for Alex or just want to get in touch, you can email her at: alexcarper2002@gmail.com

Corrections JULY 2026. BRANDYWINE ZOO, WILMINGTON, DE. ALEX AND SJ, BRINGING ZOOLOGY TO THE MASSES.

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In the Winter 2026 issue, The correct caption for the first photo on page 8: Shanghai, PRC: Thursday, September 25, 2025. Warming up for the A Final.

On page 11, Graduating year for Paul Enquist is 1977.

Alumni Notes

Linksmen Battle Summer Squalls The third annual Old Oar Open was held June 9 and 10 at the Palouse Ridge Golf Club, recognized as one of the top college courses in the country. Fourteen alumni, including Head Coach Peter Brevick joined the grand old man (master of the alarming necktie) for two days of above-par fun. Student Affairs Director of Development Camille Vaughn joined on the first day. A line of thunder squalls with hail ended the first day’s golfing just past halfway. A round of libations dampened the disappointment nicely. June 10 brought improved but still gusty weather, with random groupings playing Scramble format. Head Coach Emeritus

Ken Struckmeyer and CRA President Doug Engle hosted dinner at Zeppo’s Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, Ernie Iseminger hosted lunch at Banyon’s On The Ridge, the on-site clubhouse, after golfing was concluded. Without hesitation, Engle rated the event “a huge success.” He also earned the trophy this year, which may have colored his enthusiasm somewhat. The Old Oar Open is held on the second Tuesday and Wednesday of June. All Cougar Crew Alumni, without regard to golf skill level, are invited. To register, email Steve Ranten: ranten@comcast.net —Steve Ranten (79)

JUNE GOLFERS UNDER GLOWERING PALOUSE SKIES. L-R: MIKE BUCKLEY (81), RANDY BELL (86), PETER BREVICK (06), TIM ZEILER (81), DOUG ENGLE (79), STEVE RANTEN (79), PAUL ENQUIST (77), MIKE PABISZ (81), MITCH VAN WORMER (81) CHRIS GULICK (79), MARK PETRIE (80), PHIL SPRUTE (81), KEN STRUCKMEYER (WISCO 68), DAVE YOROZU (77), ERNIE ISEMINGER (88).

Flotsam and Jetsam from the Ocean of World Literature “Nice? It’s the only thing,” said the Water Rat solemnly, as he leant forward for his stroke. “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

—Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows (1908)

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Alumni Notes

Two More Coug Books Dr. Justin Sherfey The Executive Scalpel; cutting through the business of health care Beyond Ordinary Publications, 2025.

150 pages. Paperback $19.99 Dr. Sherfey (93), is an orthopedic surgeon.

His medical training included extensive experience treating professional athletes (Detroit Red Wings, Tigers and Lions; Boston Celtics and Red Sox). He has published a short volume on the basics of building an independent medical practice in an increasingly challenging market. A self-described “health care entrepreneur,” Sherfey’s point of departure for the book is the common experience of physician burnout. Doctors are finding the ideals of the Hippocratic Oath and financial success increasingly difficult to reconcile. Sherfey urges readers to consider his example: he built his medical practice on core business principles: operational efficiency, sustainable compensation structures and transparent corporate governance. The book has been favorably reviewed, with general agreement that it fills a longstanding void. Until now, there has been no basic guide for starting the increasingly rare independent medical practice. Lodged in a vise between an insurance oligopoly and an un- or under-insured patient population approaching 25%, practicing health care in the US has lost some of its traditional allure. Dr. Sherfey maps his own experience as a tested route out of the vice.

Michael Rutledge Riley Artifact: a memoir Purple Breeze Press, 2026. 326 pages Paperback $14.99 We live in an era of shrinking attention spans, excessive txt-messaging and a rolling surf-roar of seven-to-ten-second sound bites. Given our reality, a personal memoir could be dismissed as an exercise in nostalgia or an embarrassing self-indulgence.

It’s a genre favored by failed politicians and fading celebrities. But what if it’s written by an ordinary person? What if it’s a thoughtful challenge to the rising politics of cultural despair? Michael Riley (89) has published a charming personal retrospective startling in its directness, well-seasoned with wisdom and sly humor born of an astonishing breadth of often painful experience. Most important? This frank look at six decades is free of the querulous cant rapidly poisoning the national conversation.

Riley opens with biological origins and closes with a poem memorializing his mother’s passing. Like so many modern unions, Edward Riley and Helene Kastinger’s relationship was romantic, stormy and short. Ed was a handsome son of the South, a popular

Note from the author of Executive Scalpel The hard work it took to participate in a club sport built a pattern of hard work in me that lasts to this day. Getting up at four in the morning to get down on the river before class and running up the hill before heading back to campus demands dedication.

Then you come back and do it again in the afternoon, just for the thrill of hanging out with your teammates and competing for your school.

The process of melding nine bodies into a beautifully synchronized system on the water taught me how to work with, and also how to lead, the teams I do now.

DR. JUSTIN SHERFEY

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COUGAR CREW DAYS 2026: OLD FRIENDS ARE NEW AGAIN. L-R: TAMMY BOGGS CRAWFORD (84), PAM WARE SINGLE (90), THE AUTHOR (89), STACEY GOSNEY BURGE (90).

boulevardier, amateur boxer and Harvard grad working as an Army correspondent in Europe. When they met in Copenhagen in 1957, Ed was 29; Helene just 17. The wedding in her hometown of Vienna is documented by a post-nuptial photo showing Helene’s Nazi uncle in the back row. Chapter 1 includes a copy of the 1934 verdict sentencing her father for his part in an anti-fascist street battle. Such are the sobering opening scenes of this sensibly clear and wildly diverse recollection of one person’s experience of one family’s life.

It’s quite a leap from early days in Little Rock, AR (dad’s hometown), to Bloomington, IN (where dad pursued higher education), to Houston, TX (where mom pursued higher education) to New Haven, CT (where mom became a professor). When their romance ended, Ed Riley went home to Little Rock and a long, slow slide into terminal mental illness. Helene, newly graduated from Rice with a PhD in German Literature, went to Yale. The four Riley siblings followed Mama to Connecticut, where her Ivy League salary failed to pay the bills.

An autobiography is a factual reconstruction of the characters and events of a lifetime. A memoir is different: creative, novelistic,

with flashbacks and ruminations. Rather than a set of facts, memoirs explore one or more themes viewed through the delicate and adjustable lenses of memory and emotion. Three big themes you’ll find in Artifact: the freedom and rootlessness of nomadic life; the daily quest for dignity and satisfaction; the bitter pain of poverty, mistakes, failure—and the redeeming imperatives of self-respect, courage and humor.

Michael’s transition from deep South boyhood to New England youth is admirable. His leap from New Haven to the Palouse hills is borderline hallucinogenic. Done with Yale, Helene accepted an offer as professor of German and Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages at WSU. When Michael joined her after a summer in Little Rock and a four-day bus trip, their first next door neighbors were Ken and Marj Struckmeyer. High School in Pullman led to acceptance at Wazzu. Which led to the Sagebrush Navy. Michael rowed 1984-1988. Read Artifact yourself for the whole big, messy, beautiful story. You won’t regret it.

—Rich Ray (80)

In Memoriam David Terry Pratt

“At the time I was teaching and coaching at Navy, all midshipmen were preparing to become experts in steam propulsion (ships) and airplanes (carriers) so all had to pass rigorous courses in thermo, math, physics, aerodynamics etc. Roger Staubach was a Heisman trophy winning quarterback as a sophomore, I just happened to be his thermo prof. He was a good student and a very good man. It [is] hard to get into the academy, the entrance exams [are] tough. While in high school, I had 3rd alternate Senatorial appointment. All three ahead of me failed the exam.

I passed, but failed the physical (eyes).”

Dave seemed intolerant of anything less than total commitment. I think the idea of participating and not being all-in perplexed him.

—Mike Klier (75)

September 14, 1934–April 1, 2026

Dr. David Terry Pratt (UW 56), first member of the Cougar Crew coaching staff, has died at 92. Although his schedule allowed only episodic attendance on the water, Pratt joined the program in November 1970, preceding Bob Orr and Ken Struckmeyer. Then serving as Assistant Dean for Instruction in the College of Engineering, Pratt recruited ME students Paul Enquist, Steve Porter and Jim Fischer to row for the newly-formed crew.

Pratt’s rowing vocabulary was extensive and descriptive. He spoke with authority and the analytical insight that came from his success at Navy and his understanding of the physics of rowing.

While teaching engineering at Navy, he coached the 1963 Plebe crew to an IRA championship. He was a consummate technician.

You got the truth from him, and with the bark on.

At the 1974 Western Sprints, the Heavies, sideways in their lane after the first stroke, finished second to the University of Oregon, a team they had previously defeated. Dave quipped “You snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.”

He was a gentleman, and well-read. He loaned a rowing book to me which I kept for years, not weeks. There was no rancor when I finally saw it home. He told me all there is to know about Battalion Boats, of which we had one example: the Titanic.

I asked Dave to explain an interesting comment he made (“I taught Roger Staubach everything he knows about thermodynamics!”) and received this reply via email:

MAY 1974, WESTERN SPRINTS, LAKE BURNABY, BC, CANADA. L-R: COACH PRATT, STEVE PORTER (77), KEN YOROZU (76), PAUL DAY (76), UNIDENTIFIED.

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Alumni Notes

News: Cedar’s Story Goes National If you harbor any doubt that Cedar Cunningham (22) is on the national rowing radar, the August 2026 edition of Rowing News should put that error to rest. On the cover, a tanned and chiseled Cunningham is sporting sunglasses and shouldering the bow of a double at World Cup III in CEDAR CUNNINGHAM Lucerne, Switzerland. The six-page cover story “Tall Order” opens with a nod to his 6-foot-8 frame, then details Cunningham’s unlikely start on a neighbor’s ergometer and first strokes on the Snake River, his stunning trajectory onto the National Team thanks to outstanding athleticism and willingness to learn, and concludes by predicting he’ll earn a seat at the 2028 Olympics.

Rowing News covers all things rowing nationally and internationally, collegiate and national teams. The monthly publication blends use of large-format, full-color images with well-researched and written features and columns by coaches and experts on topics ranging from coxing and coaching to nutrition and training.

Images by Stewart Cohen, an experienced rowing, college and professional athletics photographer, help tell the story and capture Cunningham in portraiture and action images. The story concludes with a celebration shot with doubles partner Jacob Plihal (Northeastern 18) in Lucerne.

Veteran Philadelphia Inquirer sportswriter Mike Jensen spent decades covering Boathouse Row in Philly. He interviewed Cunningham and other voices key to his development, including Devon McCornack (BS Bioengineering 19, PhD Bioengineering 25), his novice coach in the 2020-2021 season, who saw CunningCOACHES YOUR MOVE

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ham’s potential in eye-popping erg scores long before watching him row, thanks to Covid-19 social distancing restrictions.

David Herrick (14) followed Cunningham’s early promise from his assistant coaching position at Oregon State, advising him to head for Boathouse Row after graduation to pursue a seat on the U23 national team. Current US Men’s Team Head Coach Casey Galvanek views Cunningham’s modest college club background as a distinct advantage. Because Cunningham is unburdened by rigid preconceptions, Galvanek believes he is rapidly learning state-of-the-art high-performance technique, an understanding that Cunningham actively embraces.

The piece is sprinkled with references to WSU’s rowing program, as Cunningham takes great pride in his club experience, regularly praising his alma mater for its part in developing his passion for the sport. An unnamed WSU teammate (Evan Thornton, according to Cedar) is quoted telling him: “You’re’ going to be racing in so many more important races…”

Rowing News provides an excellent overview of Cunningham’s journey, concluding: “However it plays out, this much we know about the guy named after a tall tree: You should keep rowing.”

—Kari Buringrud Ranten (80)

Rich Stager: The brain that begot Cougar Crew

Subscribe to Rowing News Rowing News serves the North American rowing community. It is an award-winning journalistic voice for athletes, coaches, and fans. Rowing News covers all competitive and rec tiers, providing results, technical training advice, equipment reviews, athlete profiles, and human-interest features. Noted for high-quality photography, Rowing News is available via print, digital and mobile app.

Subscriptions: www.rowingnews.com.

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“Oldest” new member of the Varsity Boat Club. Founder and first President of the Rowing Club, Rich Stager, departed the program before meeting the competitive criteria for membership in the VBC. Last year, the CCAA Board voted to induct Rich into the Cougar Crew Varsity Boat Club and gift him a jacket. Well-earned and long overdue.

Thank You!

Fiscal Year 2025–2026 Supporters

Crimson ($25,000+)

Silver ($500–$1,969)

James and Kim Austin Glen and Sherri Bodman Steve Huhta Ernest and Alice Iseminger

Gray ($10,000–$24,999) David Atherton and Moira Campbell Douglas and Renee Engle Charise Pruitt-Law Herbert M. Richards

Platinum ($5,000–$9,999)

Thomas C. Anderson Sally Bergfeld Michael and Sandra Buckley Alexandria Casey Felton Chris and Linda Gulick Katie and Michael Marelli Steve and Kari Ranten Kenneth and Marjorie Struckmeyer David and Pamela Jean Yorozu Kenneth and Jeanne Yorozu

Gold ($1,970–$4,999)

Randall and Sherry Bell Mark Wesley Hoffman August Theodore Boyle Jacob John-Ivor Brisson Thomas and Marcella Caudill Margaret Ann Coddington Andria Lyn Day James Flynn and Marcia Muto Jim Michael Gressard, DVM Roger Lane Holcombe, II Abigail Elizabeth Iseminger Paul Nelson Needham Jess and Victoria O’Dell Richard Ray and Kathleen Randall Justin Sherfey and Debrah Remlinger Alexander Jonathon Weatbrook Raymond and Jean Wittmier

The list reflects the individuals and organizations that contributed in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.

Anonymous Alan Cameron Scott Andrew Wyeth Jonathan Walker Ames Colleen and Patrick Andreotti Jeffrey Ryan Arnevick David and Arienne Arnold Shawn Andrew Bagnall Blaine and Susan Beardsley Bryan and Jodi Beardsley Griffin Edward Berger Sybil Boyter Peter Douglas Brevick Mr. & Mrs. Brian Matthew Campbell Kevin Daniel Chittenden Darrin and Lisa Clark Jeffrey D. Corwin Robert Paul Cote David Curran and Debra Keating David and Gillian Emigh Agnes Engle Paul and Lisa Enquist Nicholas Lee Estvold Murray and Dian Etherington Kirk Fisher Tim Glen Gattenby Maureen and William Guido Jon Haarlow Marietta Hall Ryan James Herrington Paul Hutteball-Wilcox and Tiffany Wilcox Christopher and Laura Kanyer Tamee Renae Kautt Edward J. Kennedy Michael and Jean Kimbrell Willem and Marie Koole Thomas and Diem-Tran Kratzke John and Susan Krause Tracy and Knut Landboe Michael Lane Douglas and Carol Lindahl Tammy and David Lindberg

Paul Andreas Soules Lund Robert and Cynthia MacDougall Alan A. MacKenzie Timothy John Malkow Rick Paul Maurice John and Kristie McBride Kent and Rocio McCleary Kerin Diane McKellar Brett and Alison Mitchell John and Julie Muirhead Robert Brian Nehring Angelina Cherie Neo Michael and Valerie Noble Scott and Sally Nowak Robert and Jeana Obom Lucas Jerome Olona Orion Insurance Group Inc Michael and Aidaluz Pabisz Mark Richard Petrie Joshua Lyle Proctor Tyler and Rachel Reed David and Mary Reeder Richard and Brook Remington

Andy and Tracy Sawyer Jim and Elizabeth Schmidt Everett M. Schneider Shawn Schuler Jerimie Seal Mark R. Shaber Aaron Philip Sharp Kevin Snekvik and Kathleen McMenamin-Snekvik James and Irene Snell Philip and Pamela Sprute

Richard and Elois Stager Joey and Frankie Tennison Carleen T. Thompson Alexander Damien Van Rijn Mitch R. Van Wormer James and Claudia Verellen Norman and Rosemary Vigre Colby and Kori Voorhees Brandon Michael Vukelich Steve Wells and Anita Von Oppenfeld Pam Ware and Paul Single Sherrill E. Williamson Greta Wyeth Barbara Young Kevin Morley Young

Bronze (Up to $499)

Anonymous Sterling Adams, Jr. Eleanor Grakauskas Ced And Mike Anderson Beth Ankcorn Diane Carol Ankcorn Bob and Sandy Appleby Robert and Christine Appleyard James Michael Aquino Marie Aquino Shannon Aquino Michael and Karin Argo Jeff Aselin Michael James Austin Janeen Backes Lynee Backes Larry and Jennie Bailey Paul Bardzik Kenneth B. Bartline Alyssa Bartolatz Heather Bartolatz Tony Bartolatz Joanne Beeson Joshua Gunnar Benson Jessie Bettes Pamela Lee Biallas Daniel Bilafer

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Karla Bilafer Sheldon Buys Birch Miles Bird Julie Boden Linda Boysen Gary W. Boyter Holly Boyter Pamela Brady Greg S. Brandt Michelle M Brandt Daniel Kristofer Brevick Brian Thomas Robin Lynn Brown Blake Thomas Bryson Nathan Allan Budke Heather Bugenig Christine L. Burkhart

Brad Stephen Carlberg Justin N. Carlo David Carlson Susan Christopher Karen Clay Robert Cline Ronald and Teresa Cole Lori and Roeland Collet Steven Taylor Collet Graham and Danielle Condit Scott Corbridge Luke Cowan Karen Cox Roger and Tammy Crawford Cedar Miles Cunningham Craig and Lisa Curtis Paula L. Curtiss Wanda J. Curtiss Nathan Dalhover Jeffrey Dalseg Jennifer Dalseg Larry and Carole Davis Heather C. Davis Jason and Meralee Davis John and Shirley DeLong Eric Rogers DeMaris, DO Scott Devereaux James Devor Brianna Diaz Buffee Ann Diezman Tiffany Donnelly

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Pauline Downey Vann Irvin Dreier Jeffrey R. Earle David Allen Ek Thomas Michael Eldridge Sr. Matt S. Elliott Diana Ellis Sean Ellis Anthony Matthew Enzler Mary Erickson Donald and Melinda Ernsdorff Colby David Farvour Tracy Fassett Jill Ferber Andy Ferguson Benjamin and Victoria Fields Anne Fisher John Patrick Fiske, Jr. Dianne Fohn Giuseppe Forte Drew Fourrir James Fraioli Tanya Fraioli Angela Gabel Jill D. Gaffney Brayan Garibay Katherine L. Garneau John Thomas Gehring Brendan M. Glouner Thomas M. Glouner David and Maria Gore Joshua Ronald Gray Kellie Gronski Lexi Grow Beatriz Emma Guerraa Diana Guerta Linda Guinter Scott Gullberg Anne Haas Donna Haj Connor Hall Robert Hallbourg Sean Halsted and Sarah Washington-Halsted Ronald and Thanne Halsted David Hammond Lisa Hanses Crystal Hanson Julie Hanson Jason Hawk Garrett Alan Heiman Michelle Heinrichs Patrick Hendrickson Shari Faye Hento Lenore Hernandez Ricardo Hernandez Rose Hernandez David Todd Herrick Roger and Barbara Heskett SU MME R 2026

Tammy Hill Norma Hilton Mark and Lindsey Hoffman Kimberly and Paul Holapa Kyle Phillip Hole John and Eve Holtman Susan Hood Karl Daniel Gage Huhta Ryan and Sarah Hui Daniel E. Hulsey Luke Lawrence Hunter Gary and Jenna Hyatt Craig Randle Illman Elna Iseminger Ron and Tracy Iseminger Christopher Jefferies Glenn Jefferies Conner Robert Johnsen Adam Johnson Lee Johnson Suzanne Johnson Lucas Boyd Jones Ole and Tanya Jorgenson Kathryn and Larry Kaatz Beverly Karem Clare Kay Allison Marie Keith Lorri Kempffer Paul Kennedy Suzanne Kennedy Michelle Eileen Kistler, PhD Natalie Knott Barbara Kramer Karen Krogan Kimberly Krogan Lana Krogan Shayla Krogan Angela Krpata Sabina Krpata

Patrick W. Kvietkus, DVM John and Bonnie Lafer David Lane Chip Lang Peter W. Lang Erika Lasee Jeffrey and Karen Laub Nora Laughlin Lawrence Anderson

Tricia Lawrence Jamelah Leddy Maxine Lee Vera Lichvarcik Margo S. Lindsay Mary A. Littrell Douglas E. Loft Jacob Brian Logar Alix Lowell Christie Lowell Robin Lowell Bev Lucas Matt Lucas Hether Luther Paxton Luther Garrett Hahn Lyman William Mark Mackey Rebecca C. MacLean Reri MacLean Dennis Maher Teresa L. Manciu Cristina Manterola Guy Albert Marden Nichole Marie Martin Ryan Elias Mather-Haaland Virginia F. McCabe Devon Michael McCornack, PhD Brad S. McFadden Dick McGrath Doug McLay Judy McLay Timothy Sean McMenamin Henry McRae Carmen Mendelson Jean Micheli William Boles Miedema Richard Mietzner Donald Miller Leonard and Lisa Mills Stacy Mitchum Kelly Moe Daniel Alain Moguel Marie Jean Molitor Marilyn Molitor Scott and Brenda Morgan Zachary Tanner Morgan Rodney Brian Mott Julie Moyer-Nesbitt Ian Mrzena Dana Muirhead David Muirhead Rebecca Muirhead Benjamin Neilson Eliza Nelson Ezekiel Palmer Nelson John Jacob Nelson Tawnya Nethercott Gunnar Joseph Newell Takumu Niino

Kristi Lee Norelius Jenn Norman Hugh North Michelle O’Connor Jeff and Samantha Olson Paula O’Neil Christina and Brian Parrish

Heather Pereira David Perkins and Amber Egbert Tracy and Lori Pierson Grete K. Popowicz Kristi Popowicz Steven and Peggy Porter Sean William Powers Patrick and Mary Pursley Stanley Glenn Putyrae Benjamin Rauk Danna Redmond

1000000

Marjorie B. Struckmeyer & Christine L. Burkhart Endowment Jim & Kim Austin Varsity Club Crew Scholarship Iseminger Family Cougar Crew Club Endowment Anderson Legacy Cougar Crew Endowment Huhta Family Cougar Crew Endowment Paul Hensel Memorial Endowment

$600,000

Tim Richards 80 Cougar Crew Endowment

Struckmeyer-Burkhart Endowment $400,000

$200,000

Gregg Siu Brenda Smith Thad and Kathleen Smith Donald and Charlotte Snekvik John Darrell Snell Kimberly Michelle Snell David H. Somes Jon S. Sparks Weston Rivers Spivia Laura Sporer Karla Squires Andrew Stephan Agnes Stewart Thomas and Donna Stowe Ellen Strong Joe Michael Sudar Mary K Sullivan Tina Summerford Molly E. Susee Timothy Edward Susee Aspen Swett Sean Geoffrey Swett Maria Taylor Gordon Teddy Brian Thomas Curtis Raymond Treiber Robert and Kittie Tucker Tanya Vanderwey Katherine O. VanZanten Camille Vaughn

Ashley Anh Vu Butuso, PhD Kramer Jon Wahlberg Daniel Wajerski Katarina Wajerski Robert Andrew Walston Mark Harris Wascher Karen L. Watt Tom and Denise Webb Alex Johnathon Welch Andrew John Welch Michael and Staci Williams Mitchell Victor Williams Maximilian Williamson Hayden James Wise Jesse James Wolfe Janice and Peter Woodcox Doug and Lori Wordell David Worley and Tiana Rodriquez Michael Wyeth Nancy Wyeth Vincent Roman Xaudaro Emily Young Finnley Kevin Young Kelly Zalocusky Timothy Todd Zeiler Trevor Steven Zook

Thank you to our Endowment Contributors $876,000

$800,000

Karl Reeves Charles Owen Remington Madelyn Germaine Reynolds Scott Rice Lori Riffe Michael Riley Jim and Vickie Rudd Alex Salvador Jonathan Thomas Satre Ellen Saulnier Al Scheele Will Scheele Dinice Leana Scheihing Sara Schier-Hanson Jennifer Schmidt Rob Schmidt Debra Schotz Lynn Schutte John Schwager Maria Schwager Mary Steffens Schweitzer Patrick Secor Christian John-Paul Shaber Heather Sheffield Shell Oil Company Foundation Michael Vasilivich Sheremet Patricia Sherry Brian Shoichet Kevan Shokat Maureen Short

Meinhart Endowment

WSU Crew Endowment

Become a Reunion Sponsor!

Our annual reunion is the social and financial pilot flame of the entire organization. In the glow of that flame, lost friendships are rediscovered; old friendships are recharged. From its heat, new friendships scatter like sparks. In a short Palouse weekend, nearly half our annual budget goes into the bank.

The Cougar Crew Days planning committee is focused on building attendance. The floor of Beasley Coliseum can seat up to 600 for dinner. To help us reach that number, we are actively recruiting sponsors to offset the heaviest overhead costs of the event (rent, catering), in order to lower per-person ticket price.

If your business or your employer has any connection to this event and might benefit from the favorable exposure that sponsorship can bring, please email: president@CougarCrew.com

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COUGAR ROWING ASSOCIATION PO Box 1355 Pullman, WA 99163

cougarcrew.com @wsucougarcrew @WSUMensRowing

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID SEATTLE, WA PERMIT NO. 963

COUGAR ROWING ASSOCIATION

WSU COUGAR CREW

WAWAWAI LANDING, SURREALISTIC SKY ON INDEPENDENCE DAY. PHOTO: JODI WINCHELL (89)