Grand Final for Varsity Eight

SARASOTA, Fla. – No. 5 Stanford's varsity eight won its semifinal to advance to the Grand Final, highlighting a rainy early Saturday morning at Nathan Benderson Park in the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships
 
The Cardinal varsity eight led wire-to-wire in its A/B semifinal to advance to the Grand Final and compete for an NCAA Championship. The second varsity eight and varsity four placed fourth in their respective A/B semifinals and will each race in a Petite Final.
 
The three-day event was condensed to two days as inclement weather is expected in the area with the arrival of Subtropical storm Alberto later in the weekend. All finals, originally scheduled for Sunday, will now be contested Saturday afternoon.
 
The varsity eight Grand Final will be held first at 11:08 a.m. PT. The Cardinal will race in the second varsity eight Petite Final at 11:16 a.m. PT and the varsity four Petite Final at 11:32 a.m. PT. California, Washington and Texas were the lone programs to advance all three boats to the Grand Final.
 
As it did during Friday's heat race, Stanford's varsity eight took command early in Saturday morning's A/B semifinal. By 250 meters, the Cardinal had a deck lead on the rest of the field. Stanford held its advantage throughout the course, winning the semifinal by five seats over second-place Texas. The Cardinal posted a winning time of 6:25.251, the third-best time of the two A/B semifinal races. Texas (6:27.171) and Princeton (6:29.368) took second and third, respectively, to also advance to the Grand Final.
 
The Cardinal will race California, Ohio State, Princeton, Texas and Washington for the NCAA Championship in the varsity eight in the afternoon.

Wire-to-wire win for the Cardinal varsity eight in its A/B semifinal. On to the Grand Final this afternoon. #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/L2ZE1F3wWL

— Stanford Women's Rowing (@StanfordRowing) May 26, 2018

Stanford's second varsity eight was in a battle with Texas for third for most of the course in its A/B semifinal. With Washington and Michigan holding the top two spots, the Cardinal and the Longhorns were level for third through 750 meters. Texas pushed its bow ahead slightly by the midpoint of the course, taking a two-seat lead with 500 meters remaining. The Cardinal could not catch the longhorns at the end with Texas (6:36.159) finishing five seats ahead of Stanford (6:38.026) for third in the semifinal and securing the final spot in the Grand Final. Washington (6:28.734) and Michigan (6:34.199) also advanced to the Grand Final.
 
Stanford will face Brown, Iowa, Ohio State, Princeton and Syracuse in the Petite Final in the afternoon.

Second varsity eight places fourth in its A/B semifinal and will race in the Petite Final this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/OrQ3qbuHL3

— Stanford Women's Rowing (@StanfordRowing) May 26, 2018

The Cardinal varsity four tried to maneuver through a crowded a field of boats early on in its A/B semifinal Saturday morning. With California and Texas separating from the field at the front, Stanford was in a battle for third with Yale at the 500-meter mark. The Bulldogs held a half a length advantage at the midpoint of the course. Stanford tried to take water away from Yale over the final 1,000 meters, but the Bulldogs held their position. Yale (7:14.616) captured third by a length over Stanford (7:17.881) at the finish to secure the final spot in the Grand Final. The Bears took the semifinal with a time of 7:03.710, while Texas (7:10.008) finished second.
 
The Cardinal will race Brown, Indiana, Iowa, Virginia and Washington State in the Petite Final in the afternoon.  

Varsity four finishes fourth in its A/B semifinal and will race in the Petite Final this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/AlA4vSuvTu

— Stanford Women's Rowing (@StanfordRowing) May 26, 2018

Saturday afternoon's finals will be streamed live on NCAA.com with official results available on regattatiming.com.

Varsity Eight

Second Varsity Eight

Varsity Four