REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. – The Golden Bears have swept the Big Row once again! Competing in its final regatta of the regular season, the Cal women's rowing team put together an impressive performance vs Stanford on Saturday morning at Redwood Shores. The Bears, who are tied for first in the nation, bested the fifth-ranked Cardinal in all four events, including a thrilling victory by the varsity eight to keep the Lambert Cup.

While the meeting between the Bay Area rivals lived up to its billing with fast and exciting racing, the focus of the day, as has become tradition, was about honoring the life and legacy of former Cal women's coxswain Jill Costello, who passed away in 2010 at the age of 22 after battling lung cancer. The Big Row serves as an opportunity to bring the Cal and Stanford rowing communities together to honor Jill's spirit and the courage of all those who battle cancer.

"Congrats to all the crews on some hard-fought racing across the board," said Cal head coach Al Acosta. "This day brings out the best in both Cal and Stanford as we honor Jill Costello and all those who have been affected by cancer. This is a great rivalry between two fast teams, but more than that it is about being selfless for the team and honoring Jill's legacy."

Competing on a cool and cloudy day at Redwood Shores, the Bears opened the day with an open water win in the third varsity eight, followed by strong racing from the varsity four, who held off the Cardinal down the stretch to secure the win. The second varsity eight followed suit with another strong outing, beating Stanford to the finish line, 6:25.7 to 6:36.6.

The final race of the day saw fantastic racing by both the Cal and Stanford varsity eights. Dead even at the 1,000-meter mark, the Bears were able to gain some separation down the stretch and beat the Cardinal to the line to remain undefeated on the year.
 
The Bears will now have a week off from competition before heading to Lake Natoma for the 2018 Pac-12 Championships on May 13. Cal has finished either first or second at the Pac-12 Championships each of the last three seasons and claimed the overall team title in 2016.

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

Results

Women's Third Varsity 8+
1. California	6:36.7
2. Stanford	6:45.1
Women's Varsity 4+
1. California	7:05.6
2. Stanford	7:09.1
Women's Second Varsity 8+
1. California	6:25.7
2. Stanford	6:36.6
Women's Varsity 8+
1. California	6:18.2
2. Stanford	6:20.1