GOLD RIVER, Calif. – Stanford placed third in the top two Varsity Eight races during a strong showing at the final Pac-12 Men's Rowing Championships, on Sunday on Lake Natoma.
With James Pullinger at stroke on the 1V8 for the first time this season, the Cardinal covered the 2,000-meter course in 5:54.01 against a slight headwind to beat fourth-place Oregon State by 13 seconds.
The sophomore from Oxford, England, rowed stroke on the 2V8 for the first half of the season before switching to the 1V8 for the Oregon State dual. He started at the No. 4 seat against the Beavers and was switched to the No. 2 in the rain-soaked dual against Cal two weeks ago.
Fleur Blasé was given the coxswain assignment for the 1V8 and Caspar Griffin was in the bow seat for the second consecutive regatta after rowing at stroke for three races.
The 2V8 boat, with Arthur Scott at stroke and coxed by Kannan Alford, also took third by nearly 14 seconds over fourth-place Oregon State.
This was the seventh race of the season for each of Stanford's 1V8 and 2V8 boats. Rowers who have been on the 1V8 in every race this season are Griffin, Tom Corbett, Hylton Harvey, Jacopo Mascitelli, and Travis Senf. Blasé, Corbett, Griffin, Harvey, and Pullinger gave the Cardinal five spots from the British Isles.
The Cardinal V4+ competed for the second time this season, with Callen Berwick at stroke and Noel Tan at cox. The Card took fourth.
This is the final Pac-12 Championships. Stanford and Cal will join the Atlantic Coast Conference, Washington heads to the Big Ten, and Oregon State remains as one of two schools left in the existing conference. Neither the ACC or Big Ten sponsors men's rowing and conference affiliation remains in discussions for the four men's rowing schools – Stanford, Cal, OSU, and champion Washington.
Stanford completes its season at the IRA Championships May 31-June 2 in West Windsor, New Jersey.
Stanford's V4+. Photo by Bob Soliorio.
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Pac-12 Championships
At Lake Natoma
Final scores – 1, Washington 72; 2, California 65; 3, Oregon State 47; 4, Stanford 42.
1V8+ -- 1, Washington 5:40.25; 3, Stanford 5:54.01.
2V8+ -- 1, Washington 5:45.79; 3, Stanford 6:02.44.
V4+ -- 1, Washington 6:34.88; 4, Stanford 6:51.29.
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Stanford's lineups:
1V8
C: Fleur Blasé
8: James Pullinger
7: Travis Senf
6: Luke Smith
5: James Fetter
4: Hylton Harvey
3: Tom Corbett
2: Jacopo Mascitelli
1: Caspar Griffin
2V8
C: Kannan Alford
8: Arthur Scott
7: Schuyler Audley-Williams
6: Wilder Fulford
5: Sandro Scalfi
4: Nick Woehrle
3: John Salvi
2: Tibor Thompson
1: Ben Felter
V4+
C: Noah Tan
4: Callen Berwick
3: Joey O'Brien
2: Joseph Guman
1: Kyle Bergstedt