GOLD RIVER, Calif. – What happens when you put three of the top six teams in the country in one race? You get some really great racing, that’s what.
That is what happened on Sunday at the Lake Natoma Invitational when No. 6 Stanford faced No. 2 Brown and No. 3 Cal to close out the weekend.
“The racing was really outstanding and conditions were excellent,” said head coach Yasmin Farooq. “The opportunity to square off against Brown and Cal today capped off a first rate weekend and gave valuable insight on our progress so far.”
Stanford finished the weekend tied for second overall in team points with 46 to match Brown. The top team was Cal with 52 points and Notre Dame had the fourth most with 37 points.
The varsity eight was a matchup of three of the top boats in the country. Stanford got off to a poor start and trailed both Cal and Brown right out of the gate. The Cardinal was able to draw level with Brown in the second 500 meters of the race. The two schools were battling for second throughout with Cal in the lead.
"It was a great opportunity to see two of the top teams in the nation," said junior Ellie Parker. "We learned the areas of growth we need to focus on. As a team it was a great stepping stone towards our end goal."
In the final 500 meters, Brown started to make a move, but Stanford countered with a good finish to place second behind Cal. The Cardinal (6:29.1) crossed less than a second in front of Brown (6:30.0).
The varsity four had the best start of the day for Stanford as they took the early lead. Brown made a charge to take the lead away in the second 500 meters, while the Cardinal opened up a boat length on Cal for second. The Golden Bears tried to come back on Stanford, but a strong sprint for the Cardinal left them behind. Stanford had a second place time of 7:26.5, four seconds up on Cal.
The 2V8 jumped out to a great start and was second off the line to Brown. However, Cal was able to catch them a quarter of the way through the race. The Golden Bears continued to move and overtook Brown as well for first, while Stanford ended up third with a time of 6:42.4. The Cardinal was eight seconds back of Brown.
After some great racing the last three weeks, Stanford will now have a break for some extra training. The next race on the schedule is the Big Row vs. Cal on Saturday, May 2.
Lake Natoma Invitational
Lake Natoma
Gold River, Calif.
April 12, 2015
Results
Varsity Eight
1. Cal – 6:24.5
2. Stanford – 6:29.1
3. Brown – 6:30.0
Second Varsity Eight
1. Cal – 6:32.6
2. Brown – 6:34.2
3. Stanford – 6:42.4
Varsity Four
1. Brown – 7:20.9
2. Stanford – 7:26.5
3. Cal – 7:30.6
Lineups
Varsity Eight
Coxswain – Naomi Cornman
Stroke – Katie Toothman
7 – Kay Rusher
6 – Ellie Parker
5 – Simone Jacobs
4 – Meredith Fischer
3 – Alix Chrumka
2 – Ruth Narode
Bow – Nancy Miles
Second Varsity Eight
Coxswain – Leigh Warner
Stroke – Courtney Carrabino
7 – Emily Grundman
6 – Lilly Tinapple
5 – Alie Rusher
4 – Amanda Lorei
3 – Callie Heiderscheit
2 –Hope Sheils
Bow –Reilly Hayes
Varsity Four
Coxswain – Madi Kist
Stroke – Anya Miller
3 – Helen Stroheker
2 – Tracy Roberts
Bow – McKayla Taaffe