REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. – The California women's rowing team wrapped up the regular season in victorious fashion, sweeping all four races against Stanford on Saturday morning in the Big Row. The Golden Bears ended the regatta with a win in the varsity eight, topping the Cardinal by over three seconds to reclaim the Lambert Cup. As has become tradition, the Bears raced in their seafoam green jerseys, competing in honor of Jill Costello, former coxswain for the Bears who passed away at age 22 after battling lung cancer.

"It's always a challenge racing this time of year," said head coach Al Acosta, "We're coming off a tough race at Washington and have final exams coming up in the classroom. It's difficult to get refreshed, refocused, and ready to go, but I thought all our boats did a great job of that today. And the inspiration for tackling all those challenge and any big challenge in life is what this regatta is all about. Throughout the week, we really focused on being "Team Jill", and on Friday, we got a note from one of Jill's former teammates. That really grounds you and gives you a lot of perspective. It was a great day on all fronts, and we're looking forward to getting back to it on Monday."

Facing sunny and calm conditions at Redwood Shores, Cal carried the momentum from last weekend's competition at Washington into Saturday's meeting with the Cardinal. After Stanford scratched in the second varsity four, the Bears took the first head-to-head race of the day in the first varsity four.

Coming off a loss last weekend in Washington, the second varsity eight bounced back against the Cardinal, edging Stanford by several seats for Cal's second win of the day. The Bears third varsity eight followed suit with an open-water win over the Cardinal.

Capping off the regatta, the varsity eight beat the Cardinal by three seconds to reclaim the Lambert Cup. Cal holds a 28-13 advantage overall in the series, but Stanford had won two of the previous three meetings between the rivals, including last season when the Cardinal handed the Bears' varsity their first loss of the year. But this season it was the Bears who claimed revenge, building an early lead and holding off Stanford's comeback attempt down the stretch. With the win, Cal's varsity eight remains undefeated on the season with seven wins over teams currently ranked in the top-10 in the country.

The Bears will now have a week off from competition before heading to Lake Natoma for the Pac-12 Championships on May 14. Cal is looking to win the Pac-12 team championship for the third consecutive season and ninth time in the last 10 seasons.  

For updates and information on the team throughout the year, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWCrew), Instagram (@CalWRowing), and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalWRowing).

Results
Women's 2V4+: 1. California 7:11.41; 2. Stanford DNS
Women's 1V4+: 1. California 7:13.90; 2. Stanford 7:21.46
Women's 2V8+: 1. California 6:26.60; 2. Stanford 6:29.70
Women's 3V8+: 1. California 6:45. 47; 2. Stanford 7:00.5
Women's 1V8+: 1. California 6:16.88; 2. Stanford 6:19.97