#cal crew

#9 Cal Cruises Thru ACC Prelims

All 5 Boats Advance To Grand Finals

CLEMSON, S.C. – No. 9 California had a successful first day at the ACC Women's Rowing Championships to kick off the weekend at Lake Hartwell in Clemson, South Carolina, as all five of its boats placed in the top three of their preliminary heats to advance to their respective grand final races. The Golden Bears' V8+, 2V4+ and 3V8+ won their heats while the 2V8+ and V4+ placed second.   Cal was one of three teams in the field to qualify for all five grand final races, later being joined by No. 1 Stanford and No. 12 Syracuse.   In the first race of the day in the 3V8+ heat, Cal took a slight one-seat lead over Syracuse after the first 250 meters. After the halfway point it was a battle between the Bears and Orange for first place as the two boats were fairly even. Cal made a move over the third 500 meters and took a three-seat lead, then held the lead through the finish in a time of 06:42.526, just a second ahead of Syracuse.   In the second heat of the V8+, Cal jumped out quickly and took a one-seat lead over Syracuse for first position after the first 10 strokes. The Orange responded and took a half-boat lead after 750 meters. The Bears got back in the race for first and walked back two seats over the third 500 meters. Cal's momentum continued and it eventually took a two-seat lead over the final 500 meters and held off the Orange for the win in a time of 06:18.966.   In Cal's 2V8+ heat, the Bears and Orange broke away from the pack in the opening 250 meters with Syracuse taking a half-boat lead over Cal. Syracuse went ahead bow to stern by the halfway mark and Cal took a half-boat lead for second position over SMU. The Bears were unable to make up any ground against the Orange over the second half of the race, but did hold off the Mustangs for second place in a time of 06:33.399.   In the V4+ heat, Cal and Syracuse were fairly even ahead of the pack in the opening 250 meters. The Orange took a slight lead at the 1,000-meter mark with the Bears just two seats behind. Cal walked back the deficit and pulled nearly even over the third 500 meters, but the Orange responded and took a half-boat lead with 750 meters to go and increased its lead to almost a full boat over the final 500 meters. The Bears finished second in a time of 07:09.514.

#4 Cal Finishes Third at Championships

V8+, 3V8+ Place Third In Grand Finals

WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – After putting itself in a position to come away with a third straight national title, the No. 4 California men's rowing team finished in third place at the National Championships at Mercer Lake Sunday afternoon for its 40th top-three overall finish in program history. Both the V8+ and 3V8+ placed third in their respective grand finals. This marked the 13th and fourth all-time bronze medals for the V8+ and 3V8+ respectively. The Golden Bears totaled 260 points to finish third in the James Ten Eyck Trophy standings after entering the last race of the day in the fourth spot.   "These were not the results we were hoping for but I'm really proud of what the team has been able to do over the course of the season and the speed that we were able to show in the lead up to this," Cal head coach Scott Frandsen said. "I'm proud of the effort that the guys put up there today. I thought the 3V raced really well and I think the JV had a better race in them and the varsity was close. Today was a good statement of the competitiveness of men's rowing in that you need to be on your game and have your best race to be able to achieve those goals. Those goals are always consistently very high for our program. That's always the challenge and a challenge we want - to set our sights on winning every year."   In Cal's first race of the day for the 3V8+ title, Cal and Washington got out in front of the pack early with the Huskies taking a slight lead after 20 strokes. Through 500 meters, Cal sat in second position even with Princeton and a half boat behind Washington. At the midway point the Bears and Tigers were in a battle for second position and sat a boat-length behind the Huskies. Cal and Princeton both exchanged surges in the last 500 meters with neither being able to take a decisive lead and it was the Tigers who edged out the Bears by less than a tenth of a second in the last few strokes for second place with the Bears coming in third in a time of 5:41.560.   In the race for the 2V8+ title, Cal, Harvard and Washington formed the early lead pack. The Bears and Huskies edged out in front of the pack 250 meters in, but Washington continued to push and took a boat-length lead over Cal by the 500-meter mark with Princeton just a few seats behind in third. The Tigers surged and overtook the Bears by a few seats at the midway point. Over the third 500 meters Dartmouth made a move and pulled even with Cal for third position. In the closing 500 meters, Cal was battling with Dartmouth for third place but ultimately the Big Green edged out the Bears for the bronze medal.

No. 1 Cal Opens Rowing Championships Strong

V8+, 2V8+, 3V8+ Win Heats

Cal Men’s Rowing Wins National Championship

Bears Varsity Eight Caps Undefeated Season With 18th IRA Title

WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – The varsity eight entered Sunday's Grand Final with an undefeated record this spring, and with 1,000 meters to go at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championship, the Cal men's rowing team's hard work was showing signs of a hard-fought victory. With the win, the Bears secured the program's 18th national championship and 100th national title overall for Cal Athletics. The Varsity Challenge Cup was not the only hardware Cal took home. The Bears' second varsity eight won silver in the Kennedy Cup in a thrilling comeback.  "Really proud of how the guys raced today," said head coach Scott Frandsen. "A full team effort leading to the varsity being able to really have their best race of the year and represent the team and win. They executed their race perfectly, really happy for those nine guys and the full 60 guys on the team. This has been the goal all year and the guys did it." Like it did all season, the V8+ got off to a fast start. The top four boats of Cal, Yale, Washington, and Brown separated themselves from the remainder of the field in the first 100 meters. By the 500-meter mark, the Bears had a two-seat advantage on the Bulldogs. By the 1,000-meter mark, the Bears and Bulldogs pulled away from the rest of the field, with Cal extending its lead over Yale. The Bears' championship boat, led by Pac-12 Male Athlete of the Year Ollie Maclean, Newcomer of the Year Gennaro di Mauro as well as all-conference honorees Elliott Kemp, Angus Dawson, and Campbell Crouch, defeated a Yale boat that featured three Olympians by over two seconds, finishing with a time of 5:44.239. Cal took home their 18th Varsity Challenge Cup in a long and storied history stretching back nearly a century. The Golden Bears also won national championships in 1928, '32, '34, '35, '39, '49, '60, '61, '64, '76, '99, '00, '01, '02, '06,'10 and ‘16.  It is also believed to be the first undefeated season for the V8+ since 2001 when Frandsen was in the boat for the Bears. In the battle for the Stewards Cup, Yale, Harvard, and Washington took the early lead. The Bears began their move over the final 1,000 meters to try to chase down Dartmouth and Washington for a place on the podium but ran out of race track to take fifth with a time of 6:11.513. In the final for the Kennedy Cup, the 2V8+ was tremendous. The Bears opened the race in the lead pack but sat in fifth behind leaders Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, and Washington. At the 1,000-meter mark, Cal began its charge, moving into third and closing fast. Over the final 100 meters, the Bears took control of second and held off Dartmouth, capturing silver by over three seconds with a time of 5:54.052.

The Schoch Cup Returns To Berkeley

#2 Bears Take Four Of Five Races From #3 Huskies

REDWOOD CITY, CA – The No. 2 ranked Cal men's rowing team made a statement on Saturday at Redwood Shores, taking four of the five races against rival Washington - including an emphatic victory in the varsity eight race to reclaim the Schoch Cup. "It was a great day for all of our crews," said head coach Scott Frandsen. "I'm proud of how the crews stayed internal and executed their race plans.  We have a lot of work left to do towards the Stanford dual, Pac-12s, and the IRA but we can build a lot of confidence off of the performances today." Squaring off against the No. 3 team in the country, the Golden Bears' second-ranked V8+ was impressive from the jump. Cal took a two-seat lead in the first 10 strokes and built that lead to four seats in the first 30 seconds. By the 500-meter mark, Cal had a bow to stern lead and continued to build on its advantage. As the two boats passed under the bridge at roughly the 1,100-meter mark, the Bears had a whole boat length of open water between themselves and the Huskies. Cal crossed the line with a time of 5:32.2 and, with the win, Cal takes back the Schoch Cup. The 2V8+ race followed a similar script. Cal jumped out to an early lead in the opening 500-meters. By the halfway point, the Bears built that lead to about six seats and finished with open water over the final 500-meters. Cal finished with a time of 5:41.2. In the 3V8+ race, it was the Huskies who took an early lead. However, Washington's fast start was not sustainable and the Bears methodically played catchup down the course. The Bears eventually caught UW past the halfway point and built up their own lead to six seats by the 1,500-meter mark. Cal finished with open water between the two boats, clocking in with a time of 5:46.2. The Bears opened the morning with a win in the 4V4+. Cal finished with a big lead and clocked in with a time of 6:30.20 – 27 seconds ahead of the Huskies, setting the momentum for later in the day.

Golden Bears Earn Spot In NCAA Championships

Cal Enters Tournament As No. 8 Seed

REDWOOD CITY – The No. 1 Golden Bears brought home The Simpson Cup for the 12th time in the last 13 years after a successful dual with No. 7 Washington this weekend in Redwood Shores, Calif. The Bears captured the victory in the varsity eight over the Huskies to secure the trophy and remain undefeated heading into the championship season.

“This undeniable rivalry brings out a lot from both schools which makes it a really fun weekend of racing,” said sophomore Mia Croonquist. “We are trusting in what we have and I’m very excited going forward to continue to build from these races against UW.”

The Huskies captured three out of four races Saturday, with victories in the third varsity eight, varsity four and second varsity eight. But in the final race of the day, the Bears showed their dominance leading the entire way and securing a victory in the varsity eight with a 6:09.3 over Washington’s 6:13.2.