GOLD RIVER - California has won the Pac-12 Championships in Lake Natoma, Sacramento. The Golden Bears took gold in three events including the novice, second varsity and varsity eights. This victory is a huge confidence boost for Cal as they head to the IRA National Championships in two weeks.

The PCRCs and Pac-12 Championships are held every year at the Lake Natoma race course in Sacramento. Hosted by the Sacramento State Aquatic Center, the course is two kilometers long with six fully marked lanes. Lake Natoma is an ideal location for racing because of its consistently fair weather conditions. PCRCs is a smaller event than the Pac-12 event and this year and Cal entered an eight and a four to compete on Saturday. The Pac-12 Championship was the main event of the weekend and is the premier rowing event on the West Coast. Historically, the Pac-12 has been dominated by crews from California and Washington. These two schools have accounted for a total of 50 PAC-12 titles in its 55 year history.

On Sunday, racing started at 9 a.m. with the men's varsity fours. The California crew set off at a strong pace, getting out the blocks with a fast start. Going past the 1000 meter mark, California sat in second place, four seconds behind Washington. The California boat pushed back, maintaining their position, however, the crew was unable to gain ground and finished second in a time of 6:30.2

The novice eights followed the varsity fours. California again leapt off the start taking an early lead. Coming into the 1000 meter mark, California led Washington by over a second. Washington pushed back in the last 500 meters, gaining slightly on the Golden Bears. California held on though, keeping the Huskies at bay, finishing just a tenth of a second ahead of Washington, in a time of 5:42.569.

In the third varsity race held at 10 a.m. California raced strong crews from Washington and Oregon State. California fought hard, sitting in second position at the halfway. In the second half of the race the Golden Bears were unable to make a move on the race leaders, settling for second place.

In the final two events, California turned up the heat on Washington. In the second varsity race California were led by Washington at the halfway mark. However, during an aggressive second half attack on the Huskies the California crew managed to overtake Washington in emphatic style, crossing the finish line four seconds ahead of Washington in a time of 5:48.0.

With two wins apiece coming into the final event, the pressure was on the first varsity crew to ensure a win. California led Washington past the the 1000 meter mark by two seconds. The Huskies began to push back during the third 500 meters, however the Golden Bears were in command and maintained their composure. Coming into the final stretch, California pushed again and crossed the line two seconds ahead of the Huskies, winning with a time of 5:39.85.

For a full breakdown of results from the day, click here.