Podium Finish at NCAA's

NCAA Championships
Lake Natoma • Gold RIver, Calif.
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Results

GOLD RIVER, Calif. – Highlighted by a third-place finish in the Varsity Eight Grand Final, Stanford placed fourth as a team at the NCAA Division I Women’s Rowing Championships Sunday at Lake Natoma.

The Cardinal varsity eight finished third in its race, while the varsity four took fourth and the second varsity eight placed ninth overall. Stanford totaled 107 points to place fourth as a team, a point ahead of Washington (106). California (129) won the NCAA team title, while Ohio State (126) placed second and Virginia (112) finished third.

“It’s always a battle to get on the podium here at the NCAA’s,” Stanford women’s rowing head coach Yasmin Farooq said. “I'm really proud of the perseverance that our team showed in every boat today to get there. They are a tough, inspired group and a tightknit team. It took every person we had to make it to the podium today and they really stood by one another." 

In the highly-anticipated varsity eight Grand Final, Stanford raced out of lane one and took the early lead on the six-boat field. The Cardinal held the lead by a deck length over California at the 750-meter mark. Stanford, California and Ohio State were level as the boats approached the midpoint of the course. The Buckeyes surged their bow in front and the Golden Bears settled into second with a three-seat advantage on the Cardinal as they crossed 1,000 meters. Stanford tried to take seats back from California, while it built a six-seat advantage over fourth-place Brown, with 750 meters to go.

The top boats each sprinted towards the finish line to decide the NCAA Champion. Ohio State (6:19.035) won the race, while Stanford finished three seats back of California (6:21.111) to place third. The Cardinal (6:22.167) edged out Brown (6:22.186) by .019 for a podium finish.  

“Wow, what a race," Farooq said in discussing the Varsity Eight Grand Final. "All nine of them understood exactly what they needed to do to be in the hunt. They laid it all out there from the first stroke and they went for the win. It was a gutsy race with an awesome sprint to the line. Hats off to Ohio State for showing that they are indeed the fastest eight in the country.”  

Varsity Eight takes the Bronze in the #NCAARow Grand Final #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/qxKtuxNNO0

— Stanford Rowing (@StanfordRowing) May 29, 2016

Stanford’s varsity four opened its Grand Final in fourth place through the first 500 meters. The Cardinal began to take away water from third-place Virginia. What was once an open-water advantage, was reduced to a bow-to-stern edge for the Cavaliers with 750 meters to go. Stanford (7:14.757) could not get any closer to UVA (7:12.071), finishing fourth by a deck length over Ohio State (7:15.086). California (7:08.410) won the title, while Washington (7:09.203) finished second.

"These five have been scrapping and fighting through every regatta this season," Farooq said. "They were salivating over every race opportunity this weekend. They came in seeded ninth and finished fourth. It's a real testament to their toughness and determination." 

The V4 finishes fourth in the #NCAARow Grand Final pic.twitter.com/MdgaRkMVNO

— Stanford Rowing (@StanfordRowing) May 29, 2016

In the second varsity eight Petite Final, Stanford opened in fourth. The Cardinal made an early move to pull level with Wisconsin for third by 750 meters. Stanford set its sights on the top two boats, Brown and Yale. The Cardinal got within four seats of second-place Yale with 500 meters to go. Stanford (6:39.821) finished the Petite Final in third, placing ninth overall in the second varsity eight competition. Brown (6:35.550) and Yale (6:37.008) finished 1-2, respectively, in the Petite Final.

"They took what they learned from the semifinals and came out with a much better final, earning critical points for us to get on the podium," Farooq said. :There is some great boatspeed coming out of these rowers in the future and I think they came away with some really valuable lessons from the regatta." 

The 2V8 places third in the #NCAARow Petite Final. Card finishes ninth overall in the 2V8 competition #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/1Dii3A9WNq

— Stanford Rowing (@StanfordRowing) May 29, 2016

Sunday’s races concluded the three-day national regatta, closing the 2016 season for the Cardinal.  

“The senior class was just an incredible driving force behind this team,” Farooq said. “They worked so hard and set a great example for everyone. Seeing how hard these seniors work on a daily basis was truly special. We are going to miss them a lot. They have left an incredible legacy.  

"I want to thank my assistant coaches Becca Carlton, Kelsie Chaudoin and Naomi Cornman, and our Sports Performance Coach Steve Dilustro, for the tireless work they've put in this year. Thanks also to Steve and Matt Mills, our athletic trainer, for ensuring that rowing injuries were at an all-time low this season."

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