May 4, 2013
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. - The seventh-ranked Stanford I Eight defeated No. 3 California and captured the Schwabacher Cup for the first time since 2008 Saturday at The Big Row.
The I Eight main event featured blistering efforts from each crew, with the Cardinal coming out on top in a course-record time of 5:31.2, a second and a half faster than its California counterpart.
"Today we witnessed a tremendous team effort," said Stanford head coach Craig Amerkhanian. "Stanford men's crew stood side-by-side and battled Cal from start to finish. As coach I was proud of the effort, speed and conviction. Each rower was dedicated to taking responsibility of each stroke while contributing to the united boat speed of the eight. What a great day for Stanford men's crew."
In the day's earlier races, California claimed wins in the II Eight and Frosh Eight classes.
The Frosh Eight finished third in its race behind California's A and B entries. The Cardinal's time of 6:09.0 ended up behind California's times of 5:46.5 and 5:56.4.
The Cardinal II Eight dropped a 10-second decision to California, coming in at 5:55.9 to California's 5:45.4.
"The results of the second varsity and third varsity were very encouraging today," said Stanford assistant coach Jake Cornelius. "We have several good races in front of us in the Pac-12 Champs and National Championships. The varsity won this race for the first time since 2008, while setting a course record in 5:31.2. Before 2008 you need to go back decades since a Big Row victory. A win against Cal is an event to be celebrated throughout the whole program. Cal is one of the most historical programs in the nation, and a victory against the Bears will define many Stanford rowing careers. I couldn't be happier for our athletes, especially our seniors in their last race at Redwood Shores: Jason Lupatkin, Dave Dolben, Oivind Lorentzen, and Will Faulkner."
"It's been a long time coming," said Lupatkin. "We all have embraced the working life and knew that it was our time to win. Put simply, we executed."
The crews will face off once again May 19 at the Pac-12 Championships at Lake Natoma.