May 22, 2012

BERKELEY -

With the NCAA Championships less than a week away, the No. 1 California women's rowing team is currently back East preparing for the national regatta that takes place from May 25-27 in West Windsor, N.J. Senior Tanya Wolfram took some time to take a break from training with the team to sit down with CalBears.com and discuss her time at Cal.

CalBears.com: How does it feel to be finished with college now that finals are over?

Wolfram: I still can't believe that it's really done! Especially given the fact that we still have our normal practice schedule. I think it will only actually sink in once we cross the finish line at NCAAs.

CB: What was your favorite class at Cal and why?
TW: I loved my cognitive science perception class. The material was super interesting and Professor Whitney had some great demonstrations that always made class entertaining.

CB: Why did you decide to come to Cal?
TW: I knew that if I came to Cal I would receive the best of both worlds academically and athletically. Also, I fell in love with the team's culture; my teammates are such an awesome group of people.

CB: The Cal rowing team is riding a lot of momentum heading into NCAAs, do you guys feel any pressure coming in as the No. 1 team in the country?
TW: Our team has worked hard this entire season to get where we are now, but we're definitely not comfortable. We always feel pressure to be faster. Regardless of rank, we will continue to surge forward and try to achieve our best possible times on the water.

CB: How did it feel to win the Pac-12 title for a fifth time?
TW: Our team was ecstatic to keep the Pac-12 title for the fifth consecutive year! There's always tough competition within our conference, so we knew it wasn't going to be easy. Having to fight for the title makes it all the more rewarding.

CB: You row on the varsity four, how do you like your boat's chances of bringing home a second straight varsity four NCAA title?
TW: We're facing the best teams in the nation, so it's going to be a fight for first. That said, the four is excited about the challenge and we'll see what happens on race day.

CB: What's been your favorite memory at Cal both on and off the water?
TW: On the water, my favorite race was this past weekend at the Pac-12 championships. It wasn't a one-boat stand out performance but the entire team had to come together to win every race. It's really hard to choose one favorite memory off the water. There have been countless memories of van rides to and from practice, feasts at the dining commons as a team after a hard row and other just random moments with my teammates that I know I will remember forever.

CB: How did you first get into rowing?
TW: My friend in high school told me that she was going to do a thing called "crew." She wanted me to try out with her so she wouldn't be alone, and I had nothing else to do on that afternoon. After the first year she quit, but I've stuck with it for the past eight years.

CB: What are your postgraduate plans?
TW: I plan on staying in the Bay Area and working for a year or two. Then I hope to continue my education with graduate school for speech language pathology.

CB: If you could give a piece of advice to the incoming rowers next season, what would it be?
TW: Come prepared to prove something! Just because you're a freshman doesn't mean that you won't play a crucial role on our team.