Cal women take second place at NCAA rowing championships

The Golden Bears led the NCAA championships heading into Sunday's finals, but were bypassed by three-time champions Ohio State by day's end to finish as runners-up. 

In the petite finals, Cal women's Varsity 4+, sandwiched between Washington State and Stanford, finished second with a time of 7:28, four seconds behind the winning Cougs.

The Second Varsity 8+, going for the grand finals, came in fifth place with a time of 6:35.140.

But the highlight –​ and most heart-breaking finish – came in the Varsity 8+ grand finals, where the Bears finished second, just .5 seconds behind champion Ohio State.

On a banner day for their male teammates, the Washington women's crew team finished off a strong season, not with a national title, but with high finishes across the board. 

Women's Varsity 4+, in the grand finals, finished in fourth place with a time of 7:21, behind eventual champion Virginia. For UW's Second Varsity 8+, a third-place finish with a time of 6:32.50 made them the highest Pac-12 finisher.

The First Varsity 8+ finished in sixth, just one second away from fourth place. 

It was a phenomenal day on the water for the Cougs. A first-place finish in the Varsity 4+ petite finals gave the Cougs upper hand, with their time of 7:24 a full four seconds ahead of Cal. 

The Second Varsity 8+, racing for the grand finals, came in sixth, the third team Pac-12 team to finish in the top six. 

The Varsity 8+, the lone Pac-12 squad to have a boat in the petite finals, finished in third. 

With three boats in the water Sunday, it was a great day for the Cardinal. A third-place finish in the Varsity 4+ petite finals – behind conference foes WSU and Cal – along with a fifth-place finish in the Varsity 8+ grand finals got Stanford off on the right foot.

It was the Cardinal's performance in the Second Varsity 8+ petite finals, however, that it will remember most: a first-place finish and a time of 6:32.060, a full three seconds ahead of runner-up Texas.

The Trojans used a strong finsh to end up in fourth place in the Varsity 4+ C finals, finishing in 16th overall for the Varsity 4+. First and Second Varsity 8+ rounded out the day, finishing in the top 20 of their events to help the Trojans close the season with good momentum and a top-15 ranking to end the year.