Eyeing Another Title

STANFORD, Calif. – The top-ranked Stanford lightweight rowing program eyes its third consecutive national championship, when the Cardinal competes in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships Saturday and Sunday, June 3-4 at Lake Natoma near Sacramento.
 
Stanford, under the direction of first-year head coach Kate Bertko, has been No. 1 all season, with the lightweight varsity eight entering the national championship regatta looking for a third consecutive title.
 
The Cardinal will be one of eight crews, along with Boston, Georgetown, Harvard-Radcliffe, MIT, Princeton, Tulsa and Wisconsin, competing for the lightweight eight title. 
 
The IRA lightweight four field consists of seven crews, with Stanford joined by Boston, Harvard-Radcliffe, MIT, Princeton, Tulsa and Wisconsin.
 
Stanford is also part of a six-crew IRA field in the lightweight double. The Cardinal will compete for the national title with Boston, Harvard-Radcliffe, MIT, Princeton and Wisconsin.

Stanford will race in the first of two heats in the lightweight eight at 8:32 a.m. PT against Princeton, Wisconsin and Georgetown. The Cardinal lightweight four will race at 10:24 a.m. PT against Boston and Tulsa. The lightweight double will race at 10:32 a.m. PT against Princeton, Boston, Wisconsin, Harvard-Radcliffe and MIT.
 
In last year's IRA Championships, Stanford secured its second consecutive national title, capturing the trophy on the Lake Mercer course in West Windsor, New Jersey. The Cardinal's lightweight eight won its Grand Final, while the lightweight four and the lightweight double placed third in each of its respective Grand Finals as all three boats medaled. Stanford totaled 34 team points (only eight and four included in IRA scoring) to win last year's IRA team title by four points over Boston and Wisconsin.
 
The Cardinal most recently raced in the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships on the same Lake Natoma course on May 13. Earlier in the month, Stanford traveled to New Jersey where it defeated Princeton in a pair of dual races.
 
The full schedule for the IRA Championships, with Friday heat times, will be announced closer to the event. For the latest news on Stanford lightweight rowing, follow @StanfordLWTCrew on Twitter.