April 18, 2009

Lake Natoma Invitational Sunday Schedule | Saturday Afternoon Results and Day 1 Standings | Saturday Morning Results

GOLD RIVER, Calif. - California won its three afternoon races on Saturday at the Lake Natoma Invitational to give the Golden Bears victories in seven out of seven events on the first day of the two-day regatta at Lake Natoma. In the afternoon, Cal's third-ranked varsity 8+ capped the first day of the regatta by posting a time of 6:28.09 to best Minnesota's 20th-ranked boat (6:45.93) and Texas (6:51.63) in its afternoon heat. The Bears' second varsity 8+ also beat its Minnesota and Texas counterparts, as Cal raced to a time of 6:42.00 to the Golden Gophers' 6:57.21 and the Longhorns' 6:57.69. Cal's first race of the afternoon was in the varsity 4+ heats, with the Bears winning its heat in 7:26.84, Minnesota taking second in 7:31.78 and Texas placing third in 7:54.02.

"We had a great day, and I'm proud of the way we raced," Cal head coach Dave O'Neill said at the completion of Saturday's races. "Tomorrow is going to be a good test. Wisconsin won all its races today, and Stanford has shown some really good speed. We need to make some decisions on the line-ups for the tomorrow. All the crews might be different than what they were today, and I know they'll be ready to go fast."

California and Wisconsin are tied for the team lead with 36 points after the first day of competition. Stanford is third with 34 points. The regatta will end on Sunday.

In Saturday's morning session, the Bears won all four of its heats and posted the fastest overall times in three of the four events - the varsity 8+, second varsity 8+ and varsity 4+ - while rowing to the second-fastest time in the novice 8+. Cal finished the morning tied with Wisconsin as the co-leaders the standings with 18 points.

"Getting the wins against Tennessee and UCF in the varsity, second varsity and four is terrific," O'Neill said of the morning varsity 8+ race. "Both of those teams have been showing good speed over the last few years, and it's really important for us to be ahead of the teams from outside our region."

Newcomer Nora Franzen, a junior transfer from Ohio State, won in her first race as a Bear with the varsity 8+, which featured a different lineup from the Pac-10 Challenge. Cal won its V8+ race over Tennessee and Central Florida with a time of 6:25.12, the top overall time in the three V8+ heats. Senior co-captain Lou Kinder switched sides to row on the port side, where she's proven to be more capable than on the opposite side. Also, junior Kaiti Seders stepped back into the varsity 8+ to replace ill freshman rower Kristina Lofman, who may return to the boat on Sunday.

"The varsity 8+ did a good job, and they are certainly working on going even faster," Cal head coach Dave O'Neill said. "As long as they keep things simple and keep the focus on boat speed, they are very good."

The Bears' varsity 4+, which also featured a new lineup after a difficult selection process, made the most of the opportunity with an open-water win and a fast time of 7:18.3 to win heat 1 over Central Florida and Tennessee.

"We have certain standards on our team, and we figure that the four needs to go under 7:20 in order to be top three at NCAAs," O'Neill said. "I am really impressed and very pleased with what that crew did this morning. However, we'll row a new lineup this afternoon and see how that goes."

Cal's novice 8+ posted a time of 6:25.12 to win heat 1 over regatta co-host Sacramento State and UCLA.

"It was a great morning for the team as a whole," O'Neill said. "The novice 8+ was terrific against a good Sac State crew. We traded pieces with them back in February, so it's good to see the progress."

Cal's second varsity 8+ clocked a time of 6:39.56 to win heat 1 over UCF and Tennessee.

Sunday's action is slated to start at 8 a.m. with the varsity 4+ group 3 final for Central Florida, Texas and Sacramento State. The final event, the novice 8+ grand final, with Central Florida, Cal and Sacramento State, is scheduled for a 9:40 a.m. start.

Lake Natoma Invitational

Team Scores
1t. California 36 points. 1t. Wisconsin 36 points. 3. Stanford 34 points. 4. Minnesota 25 points. 5. Tennessee 21 points. 6t. UCLA 19 points. 6t. UCF 19 points. 8. Texas 14 points. 9. Sacramento State 12 points.

Cal Afternoon Results from Saturday, April 18

Varsity 4+ Heat
1. California 7:26.84. 2. Minnesota 7:31.78. 3. Texas 7:54.02.
Cal: Cox: Erica Bellis. Stroke: Kira Jepson. 3: Kirsten Campbell. 2: Katie Caves. Bow: Vanna Rocchi

Second Varsity 8+ Heat
1. California 6:42.00. 2. Minnesota 6:57.21. 3. Texas 6:57.69.
Cal: Cox: Jill Costello. Stroke: Adrienne Keller. 7: Kelsey Bates. 6: Elise Etem. 5: Shay Seager. 4: Sam Sartor. 3: Bridget Moran. 2: Laurel Kuhn. Bow: Melissa Herman.

Varsity 8+ Heat
1. California 6:28.09. 2. Minnesota 6:45.93. 3. Texas 6:51.63.
Cal: Cox: Katy Milton. Stroke: Iva Obradovic. 7: Lauren Nowinski. 6: Elena Humphreys, 5: Taryn O'Connell. 4: Nora Franzen. 3: Kaiti Seders. 2: Mary Jeghers. Bow: Lou Kinder.

Cal Morning Results from Saturday, April 18

Second Varsity 8+ Heat
1. California 6:39.56. 2. Central Florida 6:52.79. 3. Tennessee 6:57.26.
Cal: Cox: Jill Costello. Stroke: Adrienne Keller. 7: Kelsey Bates. 6: Elise Etem. 5: Shay Seager. 4: Sam Sartor. 3: Bridget Moran. 2: Laurel Kuhn. Bow: Melissa Herman.

Varsity 8+ Heat
1. California 6:25.12. 2. Tennessee 6:43.38. 3. Central Florida 6:51.45.
Cal: Cox: Katy Milton. Stroke: Iva Obradovic. 7: Lauren Nowinski. 6: Elena Humphreys, 5: Taryn O'Connell. 4: Nora Franzen. 3: Kaiti Seders. 2: Mary Jeghers. Bow: Lou Kinder.

Varsity 4+ Heat
1. California 7:18.3. 2. Central Florida 7:35.9. 3. Tennessee 8:02.3.
Cal: Cox: Katie Luke. Stroke: Kira Jepson. 3: Avalon Radys. 2: Katie Caves. Bow: Vanna Rocchi.

Novice 8+ Heat
1. California 6:59.12. 2. Sacramento State 7:10.52. 3. UCLA 7:24.92.
Cal: Cox: Ariel Suares. Stroke: Charlotte Palmer. 7: Taylor Christensen. 6: Kellie Nolan. 5: Stephanie Stone. 4: Tanya Wolfram. 3: Ali Newton. 2: Tyler Christovale. Bow: Karina Rivera.