May 30, 2009

CHERRY HILL, N.J.-- CALIFORNIA and STANFORD led a charge of four different schools who advanced all three of their boats to the Grand Finals on Saturday at the 2009 NCAA Women's Rowing Championships at Cooper River Park. Semifinal races were contested this morning and Virginia and Yale join the Golden Bears and Cardinal in reaching the Grand Finals in the Division I first Eights, second Eights and Fours.

There were a number of close races with exciting finishes on Saturday, beginning with the first semifinal in the I Eights race. Virginia finished in first place ahead of Stanford by just six-hundredths of a second. Brown, Michigan, WASHINGTON and Clemson followed in that heat, which actually went off after the second semifinal due to a technical issue at the start of racing.

In the second semifinal, California won its race by just over four seconds ahead of Princeton, while Yale, USC, Michigan State and Ohio State filled places three through six in the race.

Two-time defending national champion Brown won the first semifinal in the II Eights competition by nine-tenths of a second over Virginia in one of the closest races of the day. The two were separated by less than a second throughout the entire race, while Yale finished in third just 3.07 seconds behind. Ohio State, Michigan and USC each followed.

Stanford won the second semifinal, in which the top five boats were separated by just six seconds. The Cardinal won by 1.53 seconds over Washington, while California was 2.58 seconds back and Princeton was 3.49 seconds behind. Michigan State finished in fifth place and was 6.22 seconds off the pace, while Clemson was in sixth place.

The last Division I races of the day were the semifinals in the Fours, where Clemson and Wisconsin won the respective races. Clemson won the first semifinal, with Yale 1.33 seconds back and Virginia 2.11 seconds behind. Washington was in fourth just three seconds off the pace, while Harvard and Brown finished in fifth and sixth place, respectively.

In the second semifinal, the Badgers led a race in which the top five were separated by less than seven seconds. California was second and Stanford third, while Ohio State, Michigan State and USC filled spots four through six.

On Sunday morning, the Third Level Final, Petite Final and Grand Final races will decide the national championship. The Third Level Final, featuring OREGON STATE, begins at 11:15 a.m., with the Petite Final at 11:30 a.m. and the Grand Final at 11:45 a.m. An awards ceremony will follow the conclusion of racing for the day. Courtesy of ncaa.com.

2009 NCAA Women's Rowing Championships

**For all of the latest news, results and a web cast of all races at the NCAA Championships, visit the NCAA Web site at ncaa.com.

Catch the Action on TV
Highlights of the Divisions I, II and III Women's Rowing Championships will appear on the 2009 CBS Sports Presents Championships of the NCAA (spring seasonal show), set to air at 2 p.m. Eastern time Saturday, July 4 on CBS.

Schedule of Events

Day-by-Day Heat Sheet

Fours Third Final: Dartmouth, Oregon State, Princeton, Michigan State
Fours Petite Final: Brown, Harvard, Washington, Ohio State, Michigan, USC
Fours Grand Final: Stanford, , California Wisconsin, Clemson, Virginia
II Eights Third Final: Wisconsin, Dartmouth, Oregon State, Harvard
II Eights Petite Final: USC, Michigan, Princeton, Ohio State, Michigan State, Clemson
II Eights Grand Final: California, Washington, Brown, Stanford, Virginia, Yale
I Eights Third Final: Oregon State , Harvard, Dartmouth, Wisconsin
I Eights Petite Final: Clemson, Washington, Michigan, USC, Michigan State, Ohio State
I Eights Grand Final: Brown, Stanford, California, Virginia, Princeton, Yale

Pac-10 Tops the Polls
Stanford earned the No. 1 ranking in the May 20 USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association NCAA Division I Varsity Eight Coaches Poll. The Cardinal was the unanimous choice in the Division I rankings, earning all 25 first-place votes. California ranked second. Other Conference programs in the top 20 include No. 11 Oregon State, No. 13 Washington, and No. 16 USC.

Pac-10 at the NCAA Rowing Championships
Only four teams have won the NCAA title in women's rowing since the championships' inception in 1997. Half have come from the Pac-10. Past winners include seven-time champion Brown (1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006T, 2007, 2008), dual winner California (2005, 2006T), Harvard (2003), and three-time and inaugural champion Washington (1997, 1998, 2001). The Huskies have participated in all 13 NCAA Championships, a feat matched only by Brown and Princeton. Entering its fourth NCAA appearance, Stanford, who boasts the No. 1 varsity eight boat in the nation, will go for its first-ever national title after claiming the silver medal last year in the marquee event.

California Takes 2009 Pac-10 Title
Cal won the overall team title at the Pac-10 Rowing Championships in 100-plus-degree weather on May 17 at Lake Natoma in Gold River, Calif. The Bears won the second varsity eight and varsity four titles and finished second in both the varsity eight and novice eight grand finals to collect 70.5 points. Stanford was second in the team standings with 67 points and Washington was third with 57. Cal has now won five of the last six Pac-10 Rowing Championships and the last two straight (2008 and 2009).

Stanford enters the NCAA Championships with a sizable amount of momentum following its second-place team finish at the Pac-10 Championships. There, the first varsity eight raced to its first Pac-10 gold medal since 2003 in course record fashion with a time of 6:18.6. The second varsity eight, meanwhile, claimed the silver medal in its Grand Final, the boat's highest ever Pac-10 finish.

As a team, the Huskies placed third in the conference, improving on last year's fourth-place finish. The Washington novice eight was the only gold medal-winning performance of the day on the women's side. The newly-minted varsity four and second varsity eight each took home bronze, rounding out the podium appearances for the Dawgs. The varsity eight turned in a solid race, but was edged out of medal position by Oregon State. The Beavers' varsity eight and novice eight boats each finished third at the championships, leading a strong day of racing by Oregon State's boats that pushed the team to a fourth place team finish. USC is coming off a fifth place team victory at the Pac-10 Championships, including a second place finish by the varsity four team.