Rowers aim for history as careers wind down

In a year celebrating 100 years of rowing at Washington, three young women are about to take their places with the rangy guys of yesteryear.

They won't win an Olympic gold medal, but they might become the first rowers in school history to win four consecutive national-championship races.

The only other athlete to accomplish something like that was a hammer thrower, Scott Neilsen, who didn't have to depend on teammates for his victories — which were NCAA titles in the years 1976-79.

And Lauren Estevenin, Carrie Stasiak and Adrienne Hunter could do it in a sport at Washington that essentially still makes freshmen ineligible for varsity competition.

And they do it, too, without extraordinary size or strength.

"Our sport is one of leverage, where being taller is usually better," said UW women's coach Jan Harville.

"But you never trade size for toughness. The real racers find their ways into the boats."

They'll row this weekend in the Pac-10 championships in Sacramento, Estevenin as the stroke with Stasiak and Hunter right behind her in the seventh and sixth seats, trying to become the 12th consecutive UW women's varsity eight to win a league title.

Then it will be the NCAA championships, where Washington is looking for a third straight varsity eight victory.

Estevenin, Stasiak and Hunter rowed in the last two triumphs as juniors and sophomores, the latter a race in which they made up nearly half a boat length in the stirring final 500 meters to beat Brown.

"We're like sisters," said Estevenin. "When there is trouble in the boat we can usually figure out what it is and fix it."

Their most amazing accomplishment might have come as freshmen, however, when four of them stepped out of the novice eight at year's end, beat a varsity four with coxswain for a right to go to the NCAA championships, and then won the race, beating Brown by open water.

That freshman class became the backbone of a program. Heidi Hurn, from Eastlake High, rowed in the four that won the NCAA championships, and again in last year's varsity eight that prevailed.

Beset by injuries, she missed out as a sophomore. And now, the coxswain of the freshman four, Anne Hessburg, is also back in the varsity boat. In all, seven seniors (Jessica Harm of Lakeside and Erin Curry are the other two) and two juniors (Mary Reeves and Yvonneke Stenken) are in the boat that will compete in the NCAAs May 30-June 1 in Indianapolis.

Estevenin has never rowed in any race at Washington in any other place but the stroke position, where she leads her teammates physically and spiritually.

"The stroke," said Harville, "has to have a feel for the boat. But the stroke also has to be tough enough to drag the entire crew down the race course.

"Lauren is tough enough."

Like most of the rowers, Estevenin is from somewhere interesting and headed for somewhere else just as interesting. You know, excellent student, lover of travel and life, not looking for sport to provide her livelihood, just enjoying her time at it while she can.

She was born in France.

"Sometimes," she said, "I don't know whether I'm French or American."

Two of her grandparents, as well her mother and her brother, attended Washington. Her brother rowed for the Huskies. Lauren started rowing in France, transferred to Inglemoor High School in Bothell for her senior year and rowed at Green Lake.

She wants to learn Spanish and live in either Mexico or Spain following her graduation with degrees in art and communication.

But first comes that final NCAA title.

"She is a great stroke," said Harville. "She doesn't have the best ergometer scores, she doesn't have the best body for rowing, but she's able to demand and get the best from those rowing with her."

Stasiak and Hunter are both from near Toronto. Both rowed extensively in high school and were recruited to Washington.

Hunter also competed nationally in Canada in both skiing and golf. She is majoring in international business, while Stasiak is part of the UW construction-management program.

"Graduation comes during the tryouts for the Canadian national (rowing) team," said Stasiak. "You can't do everything."

Diplomas will be in the mail.

What they've done is a lot. Hunter is the tallest of the three at 5 feet 10. Stasiak, who weighs only 147 pounds, and Estevenin are 5-9.

"In pairs," said Estevenin, "I rowed against huge girls with great ergs, and beat them. You have to have faster catches, you have to be fitter, you have to be more aggressive."

Stasiak looked at it philosophically.

"If we were in another sport, we might be on ESPN. But we've learned to demand excellence from ourselves, and it is showing up in our academics as well as the rest of our lives."

It is and it will.

Blaine Newnham: 206-464-2364 or bnewnham@seattletimes.com