Cal women take second place at NCAA rowing championships

by Joel Gunderson
May 31, 2015

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.