May 26, 2009

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NCAA Women's Rowing Championships Schedule | Video of Cal Training from May 26 | Follow Cal Women's Crew on Twitter!

This Week
California seeks its third NCAA team championship when it competes in the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Rowing Championship this Friday, May 29, through Sunday, May 31, at Cooper River Park in Cherry Hill, N.J. The Pac-10 champion Golden Bears feature the nation's second-ranked varsity 8+ and seek to improve on a third-place overall finish at the 2008 national regatta.

The link to the schedule for the 2009 NCAA Women's Rowing Championships is available above as well as below. The NCAA runs the women's Division II and III championships concurrently with the Division I regatta, so the schedule includes races for each division's championships:

Friday, May 29
Time	        Division	        Event
6-7 a.m.	        All Divisions	Course available for practice
8 a.m.	        Division III	Eights Heat 1
8:15 a.m.	        Division III	Eights Heat 2
8:30 a.m.	        Division III	Eights Heat 3
8:45 a.m.	        Division I	        I Eights Heat 1
9 a.m.	        Division I	        I Eights Heat 2
9:15 a.m.	        Division I	        I Eights Heat 3
9:30 a.m.	        Division I	        II Eights Heat 1
9:45 a.m.	        Division I	        II Eights Heat 2
10 a.m.	        Division I	        II Eights Heat 3
10:15 a.m.	Division I	Fours Heat 1
10:30 a.m.	Division I	Fours Heat 2
10:45 a.m.	Division I	Fours Heat 3
11 a.m.	         Division II	Eights Heat 1
11:15 a.m.	Division II	Eights Heat 2
11:30 a.m.	Division II	Fours Heat 1
11:45 a.m.	All Divisions Committee meeting (each Division meets separately)
Noon	        All Divisions Regatta director/committee chairs' meeting
2:30 p.m.	        Division III	Petite Qualifier
2:45 p.m.	        Division III	Grand Qualifier
3:30 p.m.	        Division I	        Eights Repechage
3:45 p.m.	        Division I	        II Eights Repechage
4 p.m.	        Division I	        Fours Repechage
4:30-6:30 p.m.	All Divisions Course available for practice (or immediately following the final race)

Saturday, May 30
Time	        Division	        Event
7-8 a.m.	        All Divisions Course available for practice
9 a.m.	         Division I	I Eights Semifinals
9:15 a.m.	         Division I	I Eights Semifinals
9:30 a.m.	         Division I	II Eights Semifinals
9:45 a.m.	         Division I	II Eights Semifinals
10 a.m.	        Division I	        Fours Semifinals
10:15 a.m.	Division I	Fours Semifinals
10:30 a.m.	Division II	Eights Repechage
10:45 a.m.	Division II	Fours Repechage
11 a.m.	        Division III	Third Final (places 13-16)
11:15 a.m.	Division III	Petite Final (places 7-12)
11:30 a.m.	Division III	Grand Final (places 1-6)
12 p.m.	        Division III Awards Ceremony
2-4 p.m.	           All Divisions Course available for practice

Sunday, May 31
Time	        Division	        Event
7-8 a.m.	        Divisions I/II	Course available for practice
9 a.m.	        Division II	Fours Grand Final (places 1-3)
9:15 a.m.	        Division II	Eights Petite Final (places 5-6)
9:30 a.m.	        Division II	Eights Grand Final (places 1-4)
9:45 a.m.	        Division I	        Fours Third Level (places 13-16)
10 a.m.	        Division I	        Fours Petite Final (places 7-12)
10:15 a.m.	Division I	Fours Grand Final (places 1-6)
10:30 a.m.	Division I	II Eights Third Final (places 13-16)
10:45 a.m.	Division I	II Eights Petite Final (places 7-12)
11 a.m.	        Division I	        II Eights Grand Final (places 1-6)
11:15 a.m.	Division I	I Eights Third Final (places 13-16)
11:30 a.m.	Division I	I Eights Petite Final (places 7-12)
11:45 a.m.	Division I	I Eights Grand Final (places 1-6)
12 p.m.	        Division II Awards ceremony
12:30 p.m.	Division I Awards ceremony

Please visit the official NCAA Web site for the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships at http://www.ncaa.com/loc/ncaa-c-rowing-loc.html for live results, ticket information, directions and much more.

Bears Capture 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 8+ and varsity 4+ titles and finished second in both the varsity 8+ and novice 8+ grand finals to collect 70.5 points. They have now won five of the last six Pac-10 Rowing Championships and the last two straight (2008 and 2009). Stanford was second in the team standings with 67 points and Washington was third with 57.

The temperature reached roughly 103 while Cal topped the Pac-10 podium.

Cal's varsity 8+ went up against a strong Stanford boat that posted a time of 6:18.6 to win the last race and last grand final of the day. The Bears were second in a time of 6:22.0.

The Bears' second varsity 8+ defeated the rival Cardinal, 6:35.1-6:36.4, in their grand final, marking the Bears' seventh-consecutive second varsity 8+ conference crown.

The varsity 4+ won the first Pac-10 crown of the afternoon for Cal, though a fast USC boat led for much of the race. Cal edged the Trojans, 7:20.0-7:20.2.

The novice 8+, rowing in the first grand final of the afternoon, posted a time of 6:47.7, and finished second behind Washington (6:44.0).

Cal also won a pair of races (the collegiate women's open 4+ and novice 4+ events) on May 16, in the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships held at Lake Natoma.

A Look at Cal in the 2008 NCAA Championships
Cal's varsity 8+ took fourth place and the host Golden Bears took third place overall with 53 points at the NCAA Division I Women's Rowing Championships on June 1 at Lake Natoma.

Defending NCAA champion Brown won the national regatta with 67 points, with Washington taking second with 59. Cal took fourth in both the varsity 8+ and varsity 4+ grand finals and sixth in the second varsity 8+ event.

The Bears improved on their seventh-place team finish in 2007.

Cal's varsity 4+, coming off an exciting win in its May 31 repechage to qualify for the grand final, started the day for the Bears by taking fourth place with a time of 7:33.10 in the grand final to score nine points.

But the Bears' next result was a sixth-place finish in the second varsity 8+ grand final, in a time of 6:52.15, which put Cal in a difficult spot heading into the last race of the day - the varsity 8+ grand final. The Bears earned 14 points in this race to stand in fifth place with 23 points, with Brown leading (34) and Washington second (32) at the time. Virginia (29), whose varsity 8+ was in the petite final, and Ohio State (28), whose varsity 8+ was in the third final, were third and fourth, respectively, before the varsity 8+ finals.

Cal's varsity 8+, which was ranked No. 1 and was undefeated entering its NCAA semifinal, placed fourth in a time of 6:36.21. The winner was defending champion Yale (6:34.05), which was followed by Stanford (6:34.95) and third-place Brown (6:35.25).

Kinder, Seager Invited to U.S. National Team Pre-Elite Camp
Cal rowers Lou Kinder and Shay Seager were invited to USRowing's 2009 Women's National Team Pre-Elite Camp this summer, the organization announced on May 22. The camp, whose dates have yet to be announced, will be held at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. Kinder, a senior co-captain, and Seager, a junior, are currently preparing to compete in the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships at Cooper River Park in Cherry Hill, N.J. Kinder is a member of Cal's varsity 8+, which is ranked No. 2 in the nation. Seager rows on the Bears' second varsity 8+.

The camp is focused on developing athletes who have the potential to contribute to future Under 23 and Senior National Teams. The goals of this camp are to introduce and develop sculling, improve technique focusing on small boats, gain fitness and increase strength-to-weight ratio, and acquire skills necessary to compete at the elite level. Athletes will train intensely with two to three practices per day, and they will have opportunities to race throughout the summer.