By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

PORTLAND, ORE. -- The Willamette University men's and women's rowing teams will begin the 2012-13 season on Sunday, Oct. 28 at the Portland Fall Classic. This is the sixth year of the regatta, which is sponsored by the Rose City Rowing Club and the Station L Rowing Club.

Willamette will compete in four races during the regatta. The Bearcats will row in the men's varsity 8+, as well as the women's varsity 8+, the women's novice 8+ and the women's varsity 4+. The regatta will get underway at 8:30 a.m. (PDT) with the men's varsity 8+. Willamette will participate in the women's varsity 8+ just a few minutes later, with a start time of 8:36 a.m.

A bit later in the morning, Willamette's crew in the women's varsity 4+ will be in action at 10:58 a.m., while the women's novice 8+ will launch at about 11:17 a.m. All of the races involving Willamette will be collegiate races with the exception of the women's novice 8+ which will be a collegiate/open race.

The Bearcats' crew in the men's varsity 8+ is scheduled to include coxswain Alexa Dunn, stroke Maxwell Mensinger, 7-seat Till Gwinn, 6-seat Forrest Betton, 5-seat Dillon Peck, 4-seat Cassie Hansen, 3-seat Herschel Mapes, 2-seat Elliot Capek and bow Connor Winnie.

Competing for the WU women's varsity 8+ will be coxswain Nicole Piechocki, along with stroke Jessie Lovell, 7-seat Kate Pfeiffer, 6-seat Anna Fredendall, 5-seat Emily Guimont, 4-seat Cassie Hansen, 3-seat Alison Claypool-Conrad, 2-seat Kira Egelhofer and bow Sarah Fish.

Head Coach Ryan Miller has listed Alexa Dunn as the coxswain for the women's novice 8+ crew. She will be guiding the efforts of Carly Burt at stroke, Kaitlyn Waidley at 7-seat, Jenn Lumish at 6-seat, Kristi Strobeck at 5-seat, Taylor Cooksy at 4-seat, Eden Edell at 3-seat, Kate White at 2-seat and Naomi Morgan at bow.

In the women's varsity 4+ race, Willamette will be represented by Piechocki as the coxswain, plus Lovell at stroke, Pfeiffer at 3-seat, Fredendall at 2-seat and Egelhofer at bow.