California used second-place finishes in each of the three grand finals to capture its second straight NCAA Division I Women’s Rowing Championship May 28.

Competing under a bright sky in calm waters with a slight headwind at the Finn Caspersen Rowing Center on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New Jersey, California actually tied Brown for first place in the overall standings with 66 points, but the Golden Bears were awarded the title over the Brown Bears based on a higher finish in the I Varsity Eights grand final.

Princeton was third overall with 56 points, just four points ahead of fourth-place finisher Washington State, which registered its best finish in program history. 

Brown claimed victories in both the II Eights and Fours grand finals and held a three-point advantage entering the I Eights grand final. With each succeeding place in the I Eights race worth three more points than the previous position and with rules dictating that ties for team awards be broken by the finish in the I Eights race, California needed to place ahead of Brown to secure the title.

Although Brown held as much as a seven-seat lead over California 500 meters into the race, the Golden Bears used the final 500 meters to close the gap and nudge Brown by .261 of a second for second place. Princeton, the top-ranked I Eights crew in a late May Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/US Rowing poll, won the race easily after taking an early lead and finishing with a winning time of 6:36.851. Washington State, Ohio State and Michigan State finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.

California’s team title marks just the second time in the championships’ history that the team champion was not the winner of the I Eights grand final.

In the Fours, Brown established a six-seat lead 1,000 meters into the race to collect its fourth overall Fours grand final win and its first since 2004 with a decisive four-second win over California.

Brown captured the II Eights grand final as well. California took second by another slim margin over Wisconsin, followed by Ohio State, Washington State and Princeton.

Princeton led most of the way in the Fours petite final and took first place by four seconds. Wisconsin was second followed by Stanford, which led early in the race.

Michigan State finished in front of Washington in the II Varsity Eights petite final.

The I Varsity Eights petite final featured multiple lead changes late in the race. Southern California led for the first 1,200 meters before being overtaken by Minnesota. Ultimately, Notre Dame surged to the front and edged Minnesota for the win.  

Team results

1. (tie) California and Brown, 66; 3. Princeton, 56; 4. Washington St., 52; 5. Ohio St., 52; 6. Michigan St., 40; 7. Washington, 33; 8. Wisconsin, 28; 9. Notre Dame, 22; 10. Yale, 21; 11. Stanford, 21; 12. Tennessee, 11.

Event results

Fours: Petite final — 1. Princeton [Margaret Arbuthnot (coxswain), Mary Leemputte, Savannah Sachs, Caitlin McGrath, Anna Walter], 7:49.3430; 2. Wisconsin, 7:53.4180; 3. Stanford, 7:57.0340; 4. Yale, 7:57.6850; 5. Notre Dame, 8:01.9610; 6. Tennesse, 8:03.4330.

Fours: Grand final — 1. Brown [Christina Caligiuri (coxswain), Annie Van Beuningen, Joanna Jacob, Casey Collins, Carly Traub], 7:41.1030; 2. California, 7:45.3500; 3. Ohio St., 7:45.7800; 4. Washington St., 7:46.0910; 5. Washington, 7:49.3350; 6. Michigan St., 7:54.0320.

II Eights: Petite final — 1. Michigan St. [Abby Wieber (coxswain), Katie Bitz, Kate Williamson, Kathy Syrowik, Suzanna Buzzell, Christie Daiss, Jenna Peters, Ashley Johnson, Sarah Schmidt], 6:57.2200; 2. Washington, 6:58.8220; 3. Stanford, 7:00.3840; 4. Yale, 7:03.4590; 5. Tennessee, 7:04.6800; 6. Notre Dame, 7:05.0010.

II Eights: Grand final — 1. Brown [Sarah Wu (coxswain), Vanessa Rathbone, Elizabeth Fison, Katie Reynolds, Corey Finnerty-Ludwig, Dove West, Meg Anderson, Sarah Bowman, Jeannette Saraidaridis], 06:48.7680; 2. California, 6:54.3760; 3. Wisconsin, 6:54.6660; 4. Ohio St., 6:55.9680; 5. Washington St., 6:56.0790; 6. Princeton, 7:00.4750.

I Eights: Petite final — 1. Notre Dame [Maria Romano (coxswain), Sarah Palandech, Julie Sobolewski, Amanda Polk, Mary Quinn, Laura Pearson, Allison Marsh, Melissa Felker, Meghan Boyle], 6:47.5460; 2. Minnesota, 6:48.5280; 3. Washington, 6:49.1480; 4. Yale, 6:49.6690; 5. Southern California, 6:51.1610; 6. UCLA, 6:56.3190; 7. Stanford, 7:02.3670.

I Eights: Grand final — Princeton [Lizzie Agnew (coxswain), Caroline Lind, Kristin Haraldsdottir, Jackie Zider, Devan Darby, Andreanne Morin, Caroline Kruse, Genevra Stone, Kate Bertko], 6:36.8510; 2. California, 6:43.2600; 3. Brown, 6:43.5210 00; 4. Washington St., 6:48.0670; 5. Ohio St., 6:49.3190; 6. Michigan St., 6:51.2220.