Stanford edged California and Yale to claim the 2009 Division I Women’s Rowing team title Sunday at Cooper River Park in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

The Cardinal, which used a narrow victory over Virginia in the I Varsity Eights grand final to claim its first championship, finished with 88 points. California and Yale tied for second with 85 points each, but California was awarded the place based on a higher finish in the I Eights grand final. Virginia was fourth with 78, followed by two-time defending champion Brown with 71.

After strong performances in the Varsity Fours and II Eights grand finals, the Cardinal’s championship hopes hinged on winning the last race. Heading into the I Eights grand final, Yale was leading the team competition, but could not maintain the lead.

Less than a second separated Stanford, Virginia and California in the early stages of the I Eights grand final. The Cardinal managed to extend its advantage to more than a second over the Cavaliers in the second 500 meters of the course, while the Bears fell to fifth.

In the final 500 meters, Stanford and Virginia raced for the finish line in a near dead heat. But  the Cardinal rowers crossed the line in 6:11.95, a mere .37 seconds ahead of the Cavaliers, to win the I Eight title and capture the national championship. California (6:14.76) finished third.

The II Eights grand final also was decided by less than a second when Yale defeated California by .54 seconds with a time of 6:29.04. After falling to fifth in the first 500 meters, the Bulldogs surged to third by the midpoint of the 2,000 meter course captured the lead 500 meters later.. Stanford (6:31.88) was third.

Clemson captured its first individual championship with a win in the Varsity Fours final. The Tigers posted a winning time of 7:26.78, less than two seconds ahead of second-place Wisconsin. Yale turned in a third-place finish with a time of 7:30.81

Team results

1. Stanford, 88, 2. California, 85; 3. Yale, 85; 4. Virginia, 78; 5. Brown, 71; 6. Michigan St., 54; 7. Washington, 50; 8. Ohio St., 49; 9. Michigan, 48; 10. Princeton, 46; 11. Southern California, 46; 12. Clemson, 43; 13. Wisconsin, 26; 14. Harvard, 21; 15. Oregon St., 14; 16. Dartmouth , 12.

Fours Grand Final

1. Clemson [Kelly Murphy, Lydia Hassell, Callen Erdeky, Allison Colberg, Meredith Razzolini (coxswain)], 7:26.78; 2. Wisconsin, 7:28.54; 3. Yale, 7:30.81; 4. California, 7:32.01; 5. Stanford, 7:32.29; 6. Virginia, 7:34.26.

Fours Petitie Final

1. Ohio St. [Anniken Ellingsen, Ellen Heister, Claudia Schiwy, Farrah Edwards, Kristin DiJosie (coxswain)], 7:27.14; 2. Brown, 7:28.10; 3. Washington, 7:30.68; 4. Michigan, 7:31.00; 5. Southern California, 7:34.71; 6. Harvard, 7:44.49.

II Eights Grand Final

1. Yale [Emily Matykiewicz, Allix Wilde, Dara Dickson, Armine Afeyan, Alexandra Thompson, Lauren Richards, Rebecca Nadal and Lee Glandorf, Mia Kanak (coxswain)], 6:29.04; 2. California, 6:29.58; 3. Stanford, 6:31.88; 4. Brown, 6:32.93; 5. Washington, 6:34.28; 6. Virginia, 6:37.17.

II Eights Petite Final

1. Michigan St. [Ashley Peach, Alex Maibusch, Amanda Dunnill, Michelle Neuder, Shannon Dunn, Stephanie Bochenek, Nancy Diehl, Megan Kursik, Emilie Gross (coxswain)], 6:37.83; 2. Ohio St., 6:42.85; 3. Southern California, 6:46.19; 4. Michigan, 6:49.18; 5. Clemson, 6:51.60; 6. Princeton, 6:52.97.

I Eights Grand Final

1. Stanford, [Erika Roddy, Di Eaton, Elle Logan, Grace Luczak, Julie Smith, Lindsay Meyer, Michelle Vezie, Adrienne Fritsch, Jenna Levy (coxswain)], 6:11.95; 2. Virginia, 6:12.32; 3. California, 6:14.76; 4. Yale, 6:17.22; 5. Brown, 6:18.13; 6. Princeton, 6:24.02.

I Eights Petite Final

1. Michigan St. [Laura Cowal, Lauren Gamble, Sarah Schmidt, Emily Regan, Monique Carter, Kellie LaPointe, Michelle Mussett, Victoria Woodard, Amanda McGeachie (coxswain)], 6:19.05; 2. Michigan, 6:19.09; 3. Southern California, 6:23.37; 4. Ohio St., 6:23.39; 5. Washington, 6:25.99; 6. Clemson, 6:32.25.