May 13, 2007

RANCHO CORDOVA - Cal's eighth-ranked women's rowing team finished second to No. 1 USC at the Pac-10 championships Sunday on Lake Natoma, snapping the Golden Bears' three-year hold on the title. Counting results from four events, the Trojans ended the day with 69 points, to Cal's 59.

The Bears captured one conference crown on the afternoon when they won the Second Varsity 8 Grand Final. Cal took an early one-second lead on Washington through 500 meters, and the Bears extended their advantage to more than five seconds at the 1500-meter mark. Cal covered the 2000-meter course in 6:53.04 to UW's 6:56.68.

In the Varsity 8 championship, USC grabbed an early lead and remained in front throughout the race. Cal stood in fourth place at the 500-meter point and held that position halfway through the contest. The Bears had the fastest final 500, closing in 1:38.26, but were unable to move higher than third. USC finished in 6:40.13, with Stanford taking second in 6:42.55 and Cal third in 6:44.58.

In the opening two heats of the morning, the Bears were unable to advance to the grand finals in either Varsity 4 or the Novice 8, settling for the petite final in both cases. UCLA captured the Varsity 4 in 7:44.34 with Cal placing as the runner-up in 7:45.40. The Bears did win the Novice 8 Petite Final in 7:20.22, outracing UC Davis, which finished in 7:22.92.

"I thought both the Second Varsity and Varsity did a real nice job," head coach Dave O'Neill said. "We certainly put ourselves in a hole with our Varsity 4 not doing well in the heats. With that, the Second Varsity knew what it needed to do and had a good race. The Varsity 8 also rowed well after going out in fourth and finishing strong in third place. We think we've done enough to earn a bid to NCAAs, which was the main goal for today."

Complete results and split times are available at Jamco.com.

Cal, which has won the last two NCAA team championships, now awaits word on whether it will receive an invitation to this year's regatta. The announcement will be made Tuesday at 1 p.m. PT at http://ncaasports.com, and the races will be held May 25-27 in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Pacific-10 Conference Women's Rowing Championships
Lake Natoma, Rancho Cordova, CA

Varsity 4 Petite Final
1. UCLA              7:44.34
2. California        7:45.40
3. Sacramento State  8:14.11

Novice 8 Petite Final
1. California        7:20.66
2. UC Davis          7:22.92
3. Sacramento State  7:37.85
4. Saint Mary's      7:50.82
5. Sonoma State      NO TIME

Second Varsity 8 Grand Final
1. California        6:53.04
2. Washington        6:56.68
3. USC               6:58.97
4. UCLA              7:04.41
5. Oregon State      7:05.68
6. Washington State  7:11.18

Varsity 8 Grand Final
1. USC               6:40.13
2. Stanford          6:42.55
3. California        6:44.58
4. UCLA              6:48.64
5. Oregon State      6:50.46
6. Washington        6:55.01

Final Team Standings
1. USC               69
2. California        59
3. Washington        57
4. UCLA              54
5. Stanford          50
6. Oregon State      49
7. Washington State  38
8. Gonzaga           35
9. Sacramento State  12
10. UC Davis          9

All times unofficial