WEST WINDSOR, New Jersey – The Cal women's rowing team is on the podium once again! For the 10th consecutive year, the Golden Bears have placed in the top three at the NCAA Rowing Championships, finishing second this year with a total of 123 points. Washington won the team title with 132 points, while Michigan took third with 112 points as the 2017 Championships came to an end Sunday morning at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New Jersey. 

One of just three schools to send all three boats to Sunday's grand finals, the Bears finished second in the first varsity four and second varsity eight races, while the first varsity eight took third. Washington took first in all three races to capture its fourth NCAA Championship, becoming the first school in the 21-year history of the championships to sweep all three events.

After winning the 2016 national title, Cal has now finished first or second at NCAAs each of the last five seasons and has placed in the top three every year since 2008.

"Obviously, we would have liked to finish one spot higher, but everyone is really happy with the effort today and the effort over the last week," said Cal head coach Al Acosta. "This is a very stressful environment and everyone really came together and did as well as they could. It's really hard to stay on the podium. We've been first or second each of the last five years, so sometimes it can be difficult to appreciate that success because we've been up there for so long. I think once everything settles down it will really sink in and they will realize what a remarkable accomplishment this really is. I'm really proud of all our athletes and this team's effort. Overall, we're very happy with the weekend and the silver medal."

In Cal's first grand final of the morning, the first varsity  four got off to a strong start, racing in favorable conditions. After the first 500 meters, the Golden Bears and Huskies had clearly established themselves as the favorites, pulling away from the rest of the field by a sizeable margin. While Cal was unable to catch up with Washington, the Bears crossed the finish line second, several meters of water ahead of third-place Ohio State.

The second varsity eight saw the Golden Bears put together an impressive surge over the final stretch to secure another second-place finish. Washington once again jumped out to an early lead in the grand final, followed by Michigan and Cal. The Wolverines led the Bears by several seats at 1000 meters before the Bears made their  move, drawing level with Michigan at 1500 meters. The sprint to the finish was all California, crossing the line second in a time of 6:53.31.

The final race of the 2017 NCAA Rowing Championships showcased the power of Pac-12 Rowing. Washington, Stanford, and Cal pulled ahead from the rest of the pack early on, battling for the varsity title. The Huskies came out very strong and led the field by almost a length at the midway mark, However Stanford and Cal put up a strong fight, with the Cardinal closing the gap to five-seats over the final stretch. The Huskies held on to win the final, while Cal finished in third, trailing the Cardinal by just a few seats.

Acosta applauded the varsity eight for their performance this weekend, bouncing back from a second-place result Friday's opening heats.

"I'm very proud of how they battled," Acosta said. "The varsity had a rough go of it in the heat, and really, really rallied in a big way after that. To go from where they  were in the heat to medaling in the grand finals is really impressive."

Ranked second in the nation for the majority of the season, Cal went undefeated in the regular season. The only team to beat the Bears this season was top-ranked Washington, who won both the Pac-12 and NCAA titles. Washington's championship on Sunday marked the 500^th NCAA Championship all-time for the Pac-12, the first conference in the country to reach the milestone.

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

Results
Grand Final - Women's First Varsity 4+: 1. Washington 7:07.10; 2. California 7:11.71; 3. Ohio State 7:16.47; 4. Texas 7:20.33; 5. Michigan 7:21.10; 6. Princeton 7:25.41
Grand Final - Women's Second Varsity 8+: 1. Washington 6:47.27; 2. California 6:53.31;  3. Michigan 6:55.14; 4. Ohio State 6:58.16; 5. Brown 7:03.16; 6. Wisconsin 7:04.11
Grand Final - Women's First Varsity 8+: 1. Washington 6:36.94; 2. Stanford 6:38.52; 3. California 6:40.07;  4. Texas 6:44.74; 5. Michigan 6:44.81; 6. Yale 6:48.63

Final Team Standings                
1. Washington 132
2. California 123
3. Michigan 112
4. Texas 108
5. Ohio State 106
6. Stanford 105