June 2, 2007

CAMDEN, N.J. - Third-ranked California's varsity eight placed fifth Saturday in the grand final of the IRA Regatta on the Cooper River. The Golden Bears' freshman four, varsity four+ and freshman eight won their respective national titles. The Cal freshman eight's gold-medal finish marked the ninth consecutive year the Bears have finished amongst the top three crews at the IRA Regatta.

The Cal varsity pair finished fifth in its grand final behind Temple, Wisconsin, Columbia and Yale. The Bears' open four lost to Washington, Princeton and Northeastern on its way to a fourth-place finish. In the second varsity eight race, Washington, Wisconsin and Cornell finished first, second and third respectively; Harvard, Cal and Brown rounded out the field.

Cal, the defending IRA national champion varsity eight, fell short of repeating as national champion. Top-ranked Washington won its 12th varsity challenge cup, finishing in 5:33.165. Second-ranked Harvard and No. 8 Stanford tied for second place, posting times of 5:34.125 each. Brown fell less than a second behind Harvard and Stanford, finishing in fourth place with a time of 5:34.981. Cal and Princeton rounded out the field finishing with times of 5:40.126 and 5:43.419, respectively.

The Cal freshman four dominated its race, finishing six seconds ahead of Yale to claim the title. Boston University, Princeton, Oregon State and Harvard rounded out the field.

The Bears' varsity four+ won the grand final, finishing with an open-water lead over Temple. Traing the Bears (6:20.622) were Temple (6:24.370), Brown (6:24.742) and Gonzaga (6:25.059). Hobart and UCLA finished in fifth and sixth places, respectively.

This season, Cal's freshman eight regained control of the national title and posted an undefeated season for the third time in school history, including in 2004 and 2005 when the Bears won consecutive IRA championships. The Cal freshman eight was unbeaten domestically in 2005, having lost only in the Temple Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta in England.

The 2007 Cal freshman eight finished with a 3.5-second lead over Brown (5:44.736) and Washington (5:44.392) to reclaim the IRA crown. Harvard, Princeton and Yale rounded out the field.

Sunday Results:
Varsity Pair Grand Final
1. Temple 6:47.162; 2. Wisconsin 6:48.923; 3. Columbia 6:51.646; 4. Yale 6:53.101; 5. California 7:08.192; 6. Cornell 7:11.997

Freshman Four Grand Final
1. California 6:28.986; 2. Yale 6:34.628; 3. Boston University 6:37.617; 4. Princeton 6:38.886; 5. Oregon State 6:40.305; 6. Harvard 6:43.019

Open Four Grand Final
1. Washington 6:26.449; 2. Princeton 6:31.315; 3. Northeastern 6:33.574; 4. California 6:34.778; 5. Cornell 6:48.778; 6. Syracuse 6:51.847

Varsity Four+ Grand Final
1. California 6:20.622; 2. Temple 6:24.370; 3. Brown 6:24.742; 4. Gonzaga 6:25.059; 5. Hobart 6:29.903; 6. UCLA 6:39.986

Freshman Eight Grand Final
1. California 5:40.886; 2. Brown 5:44.171; 3. Washington 5:44.392; 4. Harvard 5:46.681; 5. Princeton 5:51.790; 6. Yale 6:00.308

Second Varsity Eight Grand Final
1. Washington 5:43.021; 2. Wisconsin 5:44.736; 3. Cornell 5:47.718; 4. Harvard A 5:48.011; 5. California 5:49.849; 6. Brown 5:50.402

Varsity Eight Grand Final
1. Washington 5:33.165; 2. Stanford 5:34.125; 2. Harvard 5:34.125; 4. Brown 5:34.981; 5. California 5:40.126; 6. Princeton 5:43.419

Final Team Standings
1. Washington 216
2. Harvard 191
3. California 190
4. Brown 185
5. Cornell 157
6. Princeton 147
7. Wisconsin 142
8. Yale 141
9. Northeastern 123
10. Stanford 112

For complete results visit http://secure.powerhousetiming.com/powerhouse/webpages/raceResults.jsp?raceId=141