California used a first-place finish in the I Varsity Eight grand final to edge Virginia and earn the NCAA Division I Women's Rowing Championship team title May 29 at the CSUS Aquatic Center in Sacramento, California.

It is the Bears' first national title in seven championship appearances. Before this year, California's best finish was third. The Bears earned fourth place in the team standings in 2004.

California registered 67 points to secure the crown. Virginia collected wins in the Varsity Four and Second Varsity Eight grand finals, but was unable to maintain the lead after a fourth-place finish in the Varsity Eight final. The Cavaliers finished second with 63 points, while defending-champion Brown placed a distant third with 49. Ohio State and Princeton rounded out the top five with 42 and 39 points, respectively.

The Bears entered the I Eights final trailing Virginia by five points and needing to finish at least two spots ahead of the Cavaliers to capture the national title. California and Princeton, racing side by side in lanes 1 and 2, led the pack in a tightly contested competition. At the halfway mark, Princeton led by nearly a half of a boat length but with 500 meters left the Bears drew even. A final burst put California in the lead to stay.

The Bears' winning time of 6:20.74 was the fastest time turned in over the course of the three-day regatta. Princeton completed the 2000-meter course in 6:22.80 to take second place and Harvard finished third with a time of 6:23.86. Virginia placed fourth.

"Coming into this year, the goal was to win the NCAA championship," said California head coach Dave O'Neill. "The main thing was to treat every day and every race the same. This team really took that to heart. They kept on challenging themselves and holding everyone to a high standard."

The Bears also had to overcome challenges off the water. Kaylen Vander Schilden, who rows in the seven seat, became ill Saturday night and was not sure whether she would be able to race the following morning. In a race-time decision, Schilden ultimately was able to go for California.

Runner-up Virginia, one of four teams to have appeared in every championship since the regatta was established in 1997, matched its best finish. The Cavaliers also finished second in the team standings in 1999. In the Fours final, Virginia bested Brown with a winning time of 7:18.42. Washington earned third place, followed by California, Wisconsin and Southern California.

In the II Eights final, the Cavaliers crossed the finish line ahead of California, posting a time of 6:34.19. Brown was third at 6:38.98. Ohio State, Michigan State and Michigan rounded out the field.

Michigan registered a win the Fours petite final, besting Michigan State with a time of 7:25.40. The Spartans completed the race in 7:26.2, followed by Yale, Ohio State, Princeton and Harvard.

In the II Eights petite final, Washington beat Yale by just over a second. Harvard narrowly edged Southern California, 6:44.23 to 6:44.81, to capture third.

Brown, Tennessee and Michigan were the top three finishers in the I Varsity Eights petite final. Brown, the four-time national champion, posted a winning time of 6:24.65. Southern California, Stanford and Washington rounded out the field in that race.

Team results

1. California, 67; 2. Virginia, 63; 3. Brown, 49; 4. Ohio St., 42; 5. Princeton, 39; 6. Harvard, 39; 7. Yale, 38; 8. Michigan, 35; 9. Washington, 31; 10. Michigan St., 27; 11. Southern California, 25; 12. Wisconsin, 13.

Event results

Fours: Petite final -- 1. Michigan [Louisa DiLeone (coxswain), Amanda Martin, Christian Plunkett, Marin McCabe, Margot Woolley], 7:25.40; 2. Michigan St., 7:26.2; 3. Yale, 7:28.3; 4. Ohio St., 7:31.1; 5. Princeton, 7:34.7; 6. Harvard, 7:35.8.

Fours: Grand final -- 1. Virginia [Michelle Ellison (coxswain), Katrin Sydlik, Allison Brennan, Mieke Pitts, Mindy Fiesler], 7:18.42; 2. Brown, 7:20.08; 3. Washington, 7:20.15; 4. California, 7:22.49; 5. Wisconsin, 7:23.53; 6. Southern California, 7:25.26.

II Eights: Petite final -- 1. Washington [Eva Anderson (coxswain), Katei Gardner, Andrea Sooter, Gemma Edward-Aron, Alina Tabacaru, Amanda Jensen, Sandra Hangan, Liz Simenstad, Michael Kohan], 6:38.24; 2. Yale, 6:39.43; 3. Harvard, 6:44.23; 4. Southern California, 6:44.81; 5. Princeton, 6:45.61; 6. Wisconsin, 6:46.20.

II Eights: Grand final -- 1. Virginia [Launa Forehand (coxswain), Chrissie Monaghan, Mary Dobmeier, Sara Lipp, Heather Gardner, Kim Southern, Libby McCann, Crystal MacLeod, Beth Clark], 6:34.19; 2. California, 6:36.48; 3. Brown, 6:38.98; 4. Ohio St., 6:40.60; 5. Michigan St., 6:40.69; 6. Michigan, 6:47.39.

I Eights: Petite final -- 1. Brown [Mira Mehta (coxswain), Caitlyn Flynn, Rachel Dearborn, Gillian Almy, Catherine Starr, Meg Anderson, Katie Reynolds, Hannah Garrett, Deborah Dryer], 6:24.65; 2. Tennessee, 6:26.26; 3. Michigan, 6:29.67; 4. Southern California, 6:31.71; 5. Stanford, 6:31.87; 6. Washington, 6:34.36.

I Eights: Grand final -- 1. California [Remy Hitomi (coxswain), Erin Cafaro, Mara Allen, Erin Reinhardt, Iva Obradovic, Kim Atkinson, Laura Terheyden, Kaylan Vander Schilden, Jelena Djukic], 6:20.74; 2. Princeton, 6:22.80; 3. Harvard, 6:23.86; 4. Virginia, 6:24.22, 5. Yale, 6:25.39; 6. Ohio St., 6:26.96.