June 1, 1997

Cal Women's Crew Finishes Sixth at NCAA Championships

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The California women's varsity eight finished sixth in the grand final of the inaugural NCAA Women's Rowing Championships at Lake Natoma, June 1.

The Bears raced well in the first 500 meters of the race maintaining contact with Princeton, Virginia and Brown in a fight for third position. By the time the crews reached the 1000-meter mark, however, the Bears were 8 seconds off of eventual Washington's pace and a length back of the three-way battle for third. Cal was unable to move back into contention during the second half of the race and finished the season with a No. 6 ranking in the nation.

"I really don't know what to say," said coach Anna Considine. "We've made so much progress this season. Last year we struggled to a fifth-place Pac-10 finish and this season the team improved to sixth in the nation. I'm proud of the athletes that made this turnaround possible."

Washington's first-place finish in the varsity eight along with seconds in both the JV eight and varsity coxed four was enough to win the team national championship over Princeton.

Varsity Eight Finals
                        
Grand Final (1st-6th)       Petite Final (7th-12th)     
1.  Washington  6:31.8      1.  Harvard         6:50.3
2.  Umass       6:37.0      2.  Yale            6:51.9
3.  Princeton   6:39.2      3.  Oregon State    6:53.3
4.  Brown       6:40.5      4.  Dartmouth       6:55.6
5.  Virginia    6:40.9      5.  Rutgers         6:57.8
6.  Cal         6:52.0      6.  Northeastern    7:01.2

May 31, 1997

Cal Women's Crew Advances at NCAA Championships

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The California women's varsity eight advanced to the grand final of the inaugural NCAA Women's Rowing Championships after finishing third in it's semifinal at Lake Natoma, May 31.

Stroke Victoria Cloud returned to the lineup after missing out on the qualifying heats, Friday, due to flu symptoms and severe dehydration. Her return encouraged the Cal varsity and she paced them to a qualifying finish with a time of 6:49.6 behind Princeton and Virginia.

"I very pleased with the performance of my crew," said coach Anna Considine. "The varsity faced a lot of adversity this week, but its perseverance has paid off and we are through to the final. We're guaranteed a No. 6 national ranking, however, our sights are set much higher."

Cal got off to a strong start and opened up a significant margin on fourth-place finisher Oregon State. Over the final 500 meters, however, the Beavers mad a charge, but Cal was able to hold them off and secure the final qualifying position.

Cal will face Washington, Brown, Umass, Princeton and Virginia in the grand final on Sunday, June 1, at 3:00 p.m.

Varsity Eights Semifinals

Semifinal 1                   Semifinal 2     
1.  Washington     6:41.6     1.  Princeton       6:41.4
2.  Brown          6:46.6     2.  Virginia        6:45.6
3.  Umass          6:50.3     3.  Cal             6:49.6
4.  Yale           6:55.3     4.  Oregon State    6:50.3
5.  Dartmouth      7:03.9     5.  Harvard         6:56.5
6.  Northeastern   7:50.3     6.  Rutgers         6:57.8

May 30, 1997

Cal Women's Crew Advances at NCAA Championships

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The California women's varsity eight advanced to the semifinals of the inaugural NCAA Women's Rowing Championships after finishing third in it's heat at Lake Natoma, May 30.

The Bears needed to juggle its lineup and replace stroke Victoria Cloud, who became ill just 2 days before the regatta, but had enough speed to finish comfortably ahead of William Smith College and UC Davis Friday morning.

Other crews advancing directly from the heats to the semifinal round include heat-winners Washington, Umass and Princeton, along with Brown, Virginia, Oregon State, Harvard and Dartmouth. Yale, Northeastern and Rutgers advanced through the repechage or "second-chance heat" to round out the field of 12 remaining crews.

Three boats from each Saturday's semifinal will advance to the grand final on Sunday, June 1.

Varsity 8+ Heats (top 3 advance to semifinals)                                      
Heat 1                          Heat 2                          Heat 3      
1.  Washington      6:30.5      1.  Umass           6:29.2      1.  Princeton   6:40.8
2.  Brown           6:35.9      2.  Vrigina         6:35.7      2.  Harvard     6:45.7
3.  Cal             6:47.2      3.  Oregon State    6:37.8      3.  Dartmouth   6:46.9
4.  William Smith   6:54.5      4.  Northeastern    6:41.5      4.  Rutgers     6:48.1
5.  UC Davis        7:04.5      5.  Georgetown      6:44.7      5.  Yale        6:59.8
                                6.  Syracuse        6:44.9              
                                        
Repechage (top three advavance to semifinals)                                       
1.  Yale            7:01.2                              
2.  Northeastern    7:04.0                              
3.  Rutgers         7:04.5                              
4.  William Smith   7:05.9                              
5.  Syracuse        7:07.2                              
6.  Georgetown      7:09.5                              
7.  UC Davis        7:25.4                              
                                        
Semifinal Lane Assignments                                      
Semifinal 1         Semifinal 2                     
1.  Yale            1.  Cal                 
2.  Brown           2.  Virginia                    
3.  Umass           3.  Princeton                   
4.  Washington      4.  Harvard                 
5.  Dartmouth       5.  Oregon State                    
6.  Northeastern    6.  Rutgers