June 2, 2013
Complete IRA Championships results
GOLD RIVER, Calif. - Stanford lightweight rowing's I Eight made it four national championships in a row Sunday, capturing the IRA Championships Grand Final with a four-second victory over the field.
The Cardinal jumped out to a quick lead and took the championship with a fine wire-to-wire performance.After 500 meters the Cardinal lead was one second, and a sustained push increased the lead to two and a half seconds by the 1,000-meter mark and to three seconds with 500 meters to go.
Over those final 500 meters the Cardinal boat out-pushed its competition, crossing the line in 6:47.68, just under four seconds ahead of second-place Harvard.
The Cardinal Lightweight Four was also in action Sunday, finishing fifth in its Grand Final. In the race, the Cardinal opened in fifth place, and it would remain there over the whole 2,000 meters, unable to displace any of the boats ahead of it and clocking in at 7:52.55, 17 seconds back of Wisconsin (7:35.09).