May 13, 2012
GOLD RIVER, Calif. - The women's II Eight just missed a third consecutive conference gold medal Sunday, but claimed silver to highlight No. 12 Stanford women's rowing's fourth-place team finish at the Pac-12 Championships at Lake Natoma.
Stanford accumulated 25 points based on the finishes of its boats. California claimed the Pac-12 team title by sweeping all four events for the maximum 45.5 points. Washington was next with 31 points, edging out UCLA (30) for second place.
"The highlight of the day was the silver medal in the second varsity which truly came down to a photo finish," said Stanford women's rowing head coach Yasmin Farooq. "Stanford's '2nd Infantry,' as they like to call themselves, showed some real firepower in the middle 1,000 and had just enough left to hold off an excellent sprint from UCLA. It was a gritty performance by all nine and a fantastic first Pac-12 Championship race for the seven frosh in that boat."
The Cardinal will now look ahead to this Tuesday's NCAA Championships Selection Show on www.ncaa.com to learn if it will be one of the 16 teams selected for the NCAA Championships. The event will be held at Mercer Lake, N.J. from May 25-27.
Sunday, Stanford's two-time defending conference champion II Eight claimed silver, missing out on the three-peat by three seconds. The boat was third after the opening 500 meters, nearly 2.5 seconds behind California and three-quarters of a second back of USC.
The Cardinal moved in front of the Trojans over the middle 1,000 meters, and trailed the Golden Bears by just over three seconds heading into the final 500. Stanford's charge was held off by California, though, as the Cardinal's time of 6:42.7 was 3.4 seconds back of California's 6:39.3.
The I Eight took fifth in a Grand Final in which the top five boats were separated by eight seconds at the finish. The Cardinal opened the race in fifth, and after 1,000 meters only three seconds separated first-place California from the Cardinal. However, the Cardinal was unable to improve its position over the final sprint, finishing with a time of 6:38.1, just over seven seconds off the gold medal pace, and 5.3 seconds away from a top-three finish.
"The first varsity had a bad start and could not get back in the race," Farooq said. "The women in that boat have a much better race in them and hopefully they will have a chance to prove it if we get invited to the NCAA Championships."
The Four opened its race in fourth position, and maintained that spot over the opening three-quarters of the race. The Cardinal tried valiantly to hold off the surging Washington State boat over the final meters but would be edged for fourth by four-tenths of a second in a photo finish, settling for fifth and a time of 7:29.3.
"The varsity four showed real improvement today and they made significant progress with this race," Farooq noted.
The Novice Eight opened the women's competition, as Stanford took sixth in the seven-boat field. The Cardinal trailed heading into the final 500 meters, but made a strong kick over the final sprint to catch USC and claim sixth in 7:17.3.
Stanford Lineups
I Eight: Cox - Jenna Levy, Marielle Higgins, Julianna Kapjian-Pitt, Sarah Bolmer, Daphne Martschenko, Erin Radigan, Claire Grover, Christina Bax, Kristy Wentzel
II Eight: Cox - Naomi Cornman, Nancy Miles, Chelsea Shannon, Alix Chrumka, Amanda Lorei, Caitlin Byrnes, Courtney Carrabino, Kayla Cornale, Alison Fauci
Four: Cox - Katie Lopez, Chierika Ukogu, Elsa Brown, Valerie Frank, Rebecca Felix
Novice Eight: Cox - Molly Fehr, Kate Kidd, Maddy Graham, Quinn Walker, Izzy Neylan, Bailey Yuro, Maddie McCartney, Erin Antono, Alicia Kapjian-Pitt