HEAD OF THE SNAKE 2026

Cougars Open Fall Season at Head of the Snake

Six WSU men's eights race Gonzaga in the first regatta of the fall

The Washington State men's crew opened its fall season on October 2 at the Head of the Snake, racing Gonzaga on a course of about 5,000 meters. The Cougars put six eights on the water, from the first varsity through the novice class.

Head races are run against the clock. Crews start one at a time, spaced apart, and are ranked by elapsed time rather than by who crosses the line first. That format puts the focus on pacing and on holding speed over a long piece. A good fall result is less about one fast sprint and more about rowing efficiently for 17 minutes or more.

Varsity

The first varsity eight finished in 17:35.5, averaging 1:43.5 per 500 meters. Gonzaga's first varsity won the event in 17:06.7. The second varsity eight came through in 18:29.7 at a 1:48.8 split, and Gonzaga's second boat finished in 18:01.1.

Both gaps were nearly identical. The WSU 1V finished 28.8 seconds back, and the 2V finished 28.6 seconds back. Over the full course, that works out to about three seconds per 500 meters for each crew. It's a specific gap and one the team can measure itself against as the season goes on.

The third varsity eight rounded out the varsity results in 19:14.7, averaging 1:53.2.

Novice

The Head of the Snake was the first race for the novice class, and the top novice boat made it count. Novice A finished in 19:23.7 at a 1:54.1 split, just nine seconds behind the third varsity. That's a close margin for a crew in its first competitive piece.

The Novice B group raced in two eights rowed by sixes. They finished in 23:15.8 and 24:33.0 and got their first racing experience before the rest of the fall schedule.

Looking Ahead

The Cougars return to racing Gonzaga at Head of The Spokane on October 17th.