The Brown Bears successfully defended their NCAA Division I Women’s Rowing Championship Sunday at the Sacramento Aquatic Center on Lake Natoma.

The Bears used third-place finishes in the I Eights and Fours and a victory in the II Eights to capture the program’s sixth overall championship with 67 points. The win marks the second time the Bears have claimed back-to-back championships. Brown also won consecutive titles in 1999 and 2000.

Washington finished second in the team standings to equal its best finish in the NCAA championships. California, Yale and Virginia were third, fourth and fifth.

Brown head coach John Murphy said the team never focused on repeating as national champions.

“We go one at a time. What happened in the past is in the past and each year is a new start” said Murphy. “You hope for the best and try your hardest. I don’t think we thought about whether it is hard to do or not. We strive to be the best each and every time we get on the water.”

The Bears needed their best to claim the title. Brown held only a slim two-point overall advantage over Washington and lead Virginia by just six points heading into the I Varsity Eights grand final. Stanford held the lead for the majority of the race, but couldn’t hold off Yale, which was third at the 1,500-meter mark before surging forward in the final 500 meters to overtake Brown and Stanford. The Bulldogs edged the Cardinal by less than a second for the win, completing the 2,000-meter course with a time of 6:34.05. Brown finished third behind Stanford with a time of 6:35.25 to secure the championship.

It was Yale’s second straight I Eights grand final victory.

“We knew it was going to be a tight race based on all the great crew that were in there,” said Yale head coach Will Porter. “I thought if we just do what we know that we can do, we could get an opening and then take our shot. It took a lot of maturity and patience to just wait and wait, but they seized it when they got their chance.”

In the II Eights grand final, Brown led from wire to wire, crossing the finish line more than two seconds ahead of Ohio State. Washington edged Virginia for third while Tennessee and California finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

Washington captured the Fours title with a time of 7:24.84. The Huskies held the lead early before Virginia moved to the front of the field just after the race’s midpoint. Washington responded with a furious sprint to recapture the lead in the last 100 meters and went on to claim a two-seat victory. Brown finished third with a time of 7:26.49 while California, Michigan State and Yale were fourth, fifth and sixth. 

Results

Fours Grand Final

1. Washington [Rachel Powers, Jennifer Park, Charlene Franklin, Adrienne Martelli, Maggie Cheek (coxswain)], 7:24.84; 2. Virginia, 7:26.49; 3. Brown, 7:30.00; 4. California, 7:33.41; 5. Michigan St., 7:34.56; 6. Yale, 7:42.03.

II Eights Grand Final

1. Brown [Corlis Gross, Carly Traub, Sarah Palomo, Vanessa Rathbone, Joanna Jacob, Libby Boghossian, Christine Flynn, Anna Vresilovic, Christina Caligiuri (coxswain)], 6:42.42; 2. Ohio St., 6:44.87; 3. Washington, 6:48.41; 4. Virginia, 6:49.88; 5. Tennessee, 6:51.60; 6. California, 6:52.15.

I Eights Grand Final

1. Yale [Taylor Ritzel, Christina Person, Tess Gerrand, Alice Henly, Maren McCrea, Caroline Nash, Christine Glandorf, Jamie Redmon, Mia Kanak (coxswain)], 6:34.05; 2. Stanford, 6:34.95; 3. Brown, 6:35.25; 4. California, 6:35.21; 5. Washington, 6:38.21; 6. Michigan St. 6:40.26.