THREE-PEAT
Stanford won its third consecutive Intercollegiate Rowing Association national championship in June. Under the direction of first-year head coach Kate Bertko, the Cardinal won all three of its Grand Final races by open water at Lake Natoma to claim the IRA title. Stanford, which also won the IRA team title in 2015 and 2016 under Derek Byrnes, totaled 72 points Sunday to finish nine-points ahead of Boston University in the team standings.
Stanford's third consecutive title was its seventh all-time. The Cardinal owns the most women's lightweight rowing national championships in the history of the sport. Wisconsin is second with five.
Stanford also claimed the Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders Trophy, presented annually to the IRA Champions in the varsity eight, in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016.
The lightweight eight featuring coxswain Shea Cours, Kate Hickey (eight-seat), Samantha Dore (seven-seat), Keagan Hanley (six-seat), Brigitte Schmittlein (five-seat), Michele Holtkamp (four-seat), Christine Cavallo, (three-seat), Brianna Goldstein (two-seat) and Isabella Garcia-Camargo (bow seat) won the IRA title by more than five seconds at the national championship regatta. It was the boat's seventh national championship in the past eight years.
The Cardinal four was locked in a tight dual with Wisconsin early on its Grand Final. Stanford gained the advantage just before the midpoint of the course and extended its lead to six seats as the boats entered the final 1,000 meters. The Cardinal continued to surge, creating an open-water lead on the field, en route to the championship finish. Stanford completed the course in 7:20.916, with a nearly seven-second win over second-place Wisconsin (7:27.638).
The double traded places at the front with Wisconsin early on its Grand Final, before pushing its bow ball in the lead for good. Stanford crossed the line in 7:34.700, winning by more than 10 seconds. Wisconsin finished second with a time of 7:45.259.
NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR
Head coach Kate Bertko was named the Intercollegiate Rowing Association and the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Lightweight Rowing National Coach of the Year. The Cardinal lightweight varsity eight was named the IRA Women's Lightweight Crew of the Year.
Bertko directed Stanford to the IRA Championship in the lightweight eight, lightweight four and lightweight double as well as the team crown at the national championship regatta in Gold River, California. The Cardinal won all three of its Grand Final races by open water.
In her first season at the helm of the Cardinal, Bertko guided Stanford to a No. 1 ranking in the national poll throughout the year and led the Cardinal to the IRA title in all three boats for the first time in the regatta's history.
ALL-AMERICA TRIO
Three members of lightweight rowing program earned Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association All-America honors. Seniors Christine Cavallo and Brianna Goldstein, and junior Shea Cours represented the Cardinal on the 10-member All-America team, the most of any program.
It was the third consecutive year the Cardinal placed three individuals on the CRCA All-America squad. Stanford has totaled 28 CRCA All-America selections dating back to the 2007 season.
Cavallo, who earned her degree in international relations, served in the three-seat of the lightweight eight. It is the second All-America honor for Cavallo, who was recognized on the 2014 CRCA All-America team as a freshman.
Goldstein, who graduated with a degree in computer science, rowed in the two-seat of the lightweight eight. The 2017 All-America honor was her first. Goldstein was also the recipient of the Pam Strathairn Award, honoring the senior female with the best competitive attitude, at the Stanford Athletic Board Awards on June 14.
For Cours, it was her second consecutive All-America selection. The junior, who is majoring in psychology, has served as the coxswain for the lightweight eight the past two years. Cours has won an IRA title in each of her first three seasons on The Farm, serving as the coxswain for the lightweight eight as a sophomore and junior and the lightweight four that captured the 2015 IRA title as a freshman.
PRINCETON DUAL VICTORY
In a rare dual race during the regular season, top-ranked Stanford defeated No. 4 Princeton in early May on Lake Carnegie in New Jersey to take the Class of 2015 Cup.
The Cardinal varsity eight won by open water over the Tigers, completing the Lake Carnegie course in 6:13.8. Princeton finished the dual race in 6:22.6.
Stanford and Princeton each fielded a pair of varsity fours in the other race. The Cardinal's two entries placed first and second, completing the course in 7:17.2 and 7:26.4. Princeton's two entries recorded times of 7:28.1 and 7:41.5.
VARSITY EIGHT TITLE AT WIRAs
The No. 1 Stanford lightweight eight won the openweight eight grand final at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships at the end of April.
The Cardinal lightweight eight raced in the openweight competition, winning the Grand Final by open water with a time of 6:18.404. San Diego State (6:29.322) finished more than 10 seconds back in second place.
Stanford's lightweight double was also victorious, winning the Grand Final by open water with a time of 7:28.324. Cal's lightweight double was second with a time of 8:09.208.
The Cardinal placed fifth in the openweight novice four Grand Final with a time of 7:56.630.
KNECHT CUP
Stanford captured three Grand Finals at the Knecht Cup on Mercer Lake in New Jersey in early April. The Cardinal defended its 2016 crown, winning the lightweight eight title again with a time of 6:44.26. Stanford edged second-place Boston University (6:46.75) and third-place Princeton (6:47.85) by a couple seats for the victory in the Grand Final.
Stanford's lightweight four captured the Grand Final in the openweight four. The Cardinal raced down the course in a time of 7:38.32 to defeat second-place Tulsa (7:44.40).
The Cardinal also captured the lightweight four Grand Final by open water. Stanford completed the course in a time of 7:35.76, to win by nearly 10 seconds over Radcliffe (7:45.30).
Stanford's lightweight eight placed third in the openweight varsity eight Grand Final. The Cardinal came within a couple seats of the win, finishing with a time of 6:47.36, behind second-place Boston University's lightweight entry (6:45.77) and the first-place openweight entry from Miami (6:43.84).
CREW CLASSIC CROWN
The Stanford lightweight women's rowing program began the 2017 season in the same dominant fashion it closed the 2016 campaign. The Cardinal won both the collegiate eight and open eight grand finals in the San Diego Crew Classic on Mission Bay in April.
The lightweight eight raced down the Mission Bay course in 6:35.82 to win the Women's Collegiate Varsity Eight Cal Cup by nearly five seconds over the openweight crew from the University of Tennessee (6:40.18).
The Cardinal lightweight crew's other entry won the Women's Open Varsity Eight Carley Copley Cup. Stanford cruised past the finish line by open water with a time of 6:54.18, ahead of the openweight crew from the University of Southern California (7:00.45).
BERTKO COMPLETES INAUGURAL SEASON ON TOP
Head coach Kate Bertko guided Stanford to a national championship in her first season at the helm of the Cardinal's lightweight program. Bertko, who was introduced as the head coach of the program in September, led Stanford's lightweight eight to a top ranking in the polls throughout the season and an IRA title in all three boats at the national championship regatta.