California’s Lake Natoma has always been a memorable place for the Western Washington University women’s rowing team.

The facility has been kind — it’s the water on which the Vikings won the first of their three consecutive NCAA Division II National Championships beginning in 2005. And the facility has been cruel — a flawed stroke at the 2004 national championships just 600 meters from the finish line sent WWU to a third-place finish.

Going into this year’s championships beginning today at the CSU Sacramento State Aquatic Center in Rancho Cordova, the Vikings are hoping there are one or two more special moments left on the lake they think of as a home away from home.

“It’s essentially our home course,” WWU senior Staci Reynolds said in a phone interview. “We’ve raced here more than any other lake, I think. For the seniors it’s very nice to have our last run at a national championship here. It’s very comforting to be here.”

Comfortable and focused might be the best way to describe the team as they attempt to win an unprecedented fourth straight national title this weekend.

Experienced and calm could be another way to think of the group. Four seniors in the varsity eight boat, Reynolds, Metta Gilbert, Samantha Marikis, and Amelia Whitcomb, will be looking to become four-time national champions. Three rowed in the varsity eight when WWU won

its first title in 2005. Marikis was in the varsity four that season.

“Regardless of the outcome it’s going to be a tearful end,” Reynolds said. “We had our last practice at home on Tuesday and there were a few tears. This weekend is going to be the end of a big part of our lives.”

The Vikings, unanimously ranked No. 1 in the nation throughout the season, would like nothing more than to go out on top one more time. WWU returns six members from last season’s national championship varsity eight boat. It could be the fastest boat Western has ever had.

“In Division II, we don’t have to go 6 minutes and 20 seconds to win the national championship,” WWU coach John Fuchs said. “We’ve got to be faster than everybody else, but 6:35 to 6:40 will do it. I don’t have to go out and recruit Olympic caliber athletes. So, we can take some of the athletes around campus and put together fast enough speed. That doesn’t work at other programs.”

While the Vikings might be short on future Olympians, they sure can fill out an All-America list. Reynolds was named a Division II All-American for the second straight season on Tuesday. Joining her for the first time on the list were Gilbert and Marikis.

Western will be the favorites when the heat races begin today to advance to the Division II grand finals on Sunday and win it all.

“Every year it’s been pretty different,” Reynolds said. “Every year our expectations change a little bit, the pressure changes a little bit, and the competition changes.”

To qualify to compete for a national championship a school must have both a varsity eight boat and a varsity four boat reach the grand finals. Western has won both races on the final day for three straight seasons.

“I know that if I was coaching the other team I would tell my rowers they are going to have to take it away from us if they want to win,” Reynolds said.

The Vikings have raced against and beaten all of the schools from the West Coast competing at nationals this season, but haven’t seen the schools from the East Coast. UC San Diego and New York’s Dowling College have typically brought the most competition.

“We haven’t raced against any of the schools from the east so we really don’t know what to expect from them,” Reynolds said. “That can be the scariest thing. We have no way of knowing what they can do.”

Even so, it’s hard to imagine the Vikings will be intimidated by anyone when they hit the water today.

“You’re never going to have a perfect race, but it has to be pretty close at nationals,” Reynolds said. “It has to be a pretty immaculate performance.”