Bears Take On Conference At Pac-12 Championships
BERKELEY – Championship season begins this weekend for the Cal men's rowing team. The Bears will travel to Dexter Lake in Lowell, Ore., for Sunday's Pac-12 Championship.
"It's a big one," said head coach Scott Frandsen. "The season has been building up towards the Pac-12 Championship and the IRA and this is another big step as we get into the championships. The guys are excited to get through this week of exams and feel refreshed and get ready to race on Sunday."
Sunday marks a new destination for the Pac-12 Championships. Since the 1970s the championship has typically been held at Lake Natoma, this year the championships will be held at Dexter Lake.
"It's a different venue, typically we are up in Lake Natoma," added Frandsen. "It was decided to move to Dexter Lake this year, it's an unknown venue and sometimes that can bring some excitement and challenges, but it is something different."
This year, the Pac-12 Championships will air live on the Pac-12 Network, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Fans can also tune in at Pac-12.com or via the Pac-12 Now app. Live timing and results can be accessed at the championship website: Pac-12.com/RowChamps
Last time out, the Bears defeated Washington in the annual dual race, taking back the Schoch Cup and winning four of the five races on April 23 at Redwood Shores. Leading up to this weekend's race, the Bears have been busy going through final exams. Fortunately for the Bears, they have had a pretty consistent lineup throughout the spring.
"This is always a challenging stretch for us with exams, but I think we've managed the stress of exams extremely well," said Frandsen. "We continue to move some athletes around within our lower boats in the JV8+, 3V8+, and the 4+ – but the varsity has been steady. This weekend will be about going out and executing our race plan again, putting the guys in a pressured situation, and seeing them rise to the challenge."
Sunday's Schedule:
9:00 a.m. – Men's Novice Eight
9:10 a.m. – Women's Novice Eight
9:20 a.m. – Men's Third Varsity Eight
9:30 a.m. – Women's Third Varsity Eight
9:40 a.m. – Men's Varsity Four
9:50 a.m. – Women's Varsity Four
10:00 a.m. – Men's Second Varsity Eight
10:10 a.m. – Women's Second Varsity Eight
10:20 a.m. – Men's Varsity Eight
10:30 a.m. – Women's Varsity Eight
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