Samantha Marikis

May 22, 2008

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The roots of success for the four senior members on the Western Washington University women's rowing team began even before they arrived.

In fact, in the Vikings' last race prior to them enrolling.

On May 30-June 1 at the 2008 NCAA National Championships, they will chase an unprecedented fourth straight Division II title.

Western enters as the favorite thanks to the contribution of this foursome made up of Metta Gilbert (Helena, MT), Samantha Marikis (Republic), Staci Reynolds (Vancouver/Columbia River) and Amelia Whitcomb (Spokane/Ferris).

But the Vikings could just as easily be going for a fifth consecutive crown. In the spring of 2004, one got away in heart-breaking fashion. Having been the national runner-up in 2002 and 2003, Western's varsity eight was leading at nationals with 600 meters to go and a title in sight when disaster struck. A Viking rower caught a crab, her oar getting stuck in the water during the recovery portion of a stroke, and the dream was over.

The disappointment had not been forgotten when that freshmen class arrived in the fall of 2004.

"When they came in the team was going nuts with determination," said Western coach John Fuchs. "There was no way that we weren't going to win that championship in 2005 after what happened in 2004."

That determination set a standard that proved to be a lasting one.

"For these freshmen coming in, all pretty good athletes, this becomes a normal thing for them, all these returnees absolutely busting it," Fuchs continued. "They didn't know that we had stepped it up another level. They worked that way all four years and they've carried that torch so that the younger kids this year are now working at a higher level than those four did as freshmen. They've been the catalyst in creating this momentum that's going on."

Gilbert, Reynolds and Whitcomb were in the varsity eight that won Western's first national title in 2005, with Marikis in the victorious varsity four.

All four were together in the eight as the Vikings again won championships in 2006 and 2007 and remain there in 2008. Reynolds is the stroke with Gilbert in the No.7 seat, Marikis in the No.4 seat and Whitcomb in the No.3 seat.

This year, Western has been ranked No.1 nationally all season long, receiving every first-place vote. The Vikings, who have not lost to a DII school in varsity eight or varsity races since 2004, have defeated four DI schools this season and were within a boat length of Oregon State, ranked No.20 in the DI top 25.

Many would call what Western has accomplished during Fuchs' decade of coaching a dynasty, but Fuchs is quick to differ.

"If we can keep this up after this class is done, then it might be okay to call it a dynasty," said Fuchs. "These four people have been such a core group over the last four years. To say that it's a dynasty now, it might be just a class."

"If it was more spread out, where there were different people winning all the time, then I'd say yes. But there's still too much coincidence with these four people coming through and being the crux of it all."