The Cal women's rowing team begins its title defense Friday as the 2019 NCAA Championships get underway at the Indianapolis Rowing Center. The reigning NCAA team champions, the Golden Bears are making their 21st consecutive appearance at the NCAA regatta, having raced at the event every year since 1999. Competition begins with Friday morning's heats and concludes Sunday with the grand finals.

"The focus is now on making final selections, getting in the lineups and doing all that we can do to go a little faster," head coach Al Acosta said. "I think everybody on the team knows there's room for improvement. It's exciting to know that the goals we set at the beginning of the year are still within reach."

All racing will be streamed live at NCAA.com. Live results will also be available online, while fans can follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWRowing) and Instagram (@CalWRowing) for updates.

The NCAA Championships feature 22 teams and begin with four heats for each of the three boats – the varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four. The top two finishers from each heat will advance directly to Saturday's A/B semifinals, while the remaining spots will be determined Friday afternoon in the repechage. The top three boats from each of the A/B semifinals advance to Sunday's grand finals with the chance to race for a national title.

Cal earned the first overall seed in the varsity eight, the fourth seed in the second varsity eight and the ninth seed in the varsity four. The Golden Bears begin their racing slate on Friday 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT with the varsity eight racing in the first heat against crews from Indiana, Yale, Ohio State and Duke. The second varsity eight races in the second heat at 10:24 a.m. ET/7:24 a.m. PT against Rhode Island, Indiana, Virginia, Harvard and Gonzaga. Cal's final heat of the day pits the Bears' varsity four against crews from Harvard, Washington, Brown and Iowa at 10:36 a.m. ET/7:36 a.m. PT.

The full schedule of racing for the weekend, as well as other event information, can be found at the NCAA Championship Central site.

Cal is one of the most successful  programs in NCAA rowing history, finishing in the top three in the team standings each of the last 11 seasons. The Golden Bears took gold at 2018 NCAA  Championships held at Sarasota, Florida, edging Washington by two points in the team standings. Victories in the varsity eight and varsity four propelled the Bears to their overall team gold. Cal has a chance to win back-to-back team titles for the second time in program history, last doing so in 2005 and 2006.

The third-ranked crew in the country entering this year's championships, the Bears are looking to improve upon a third-place overall finish at the 2019 Pac-12 Championships at Lake Natoma, where Cal finished just one point behind first-place Washington and 0.5 points behind second-place Stanford.

Cal's varsity eight captured gold at the 2019 Pac-12 Championships to extend its undefeated season. The Bears' varsity eight returns several key contributors from last year's lineup that won the NCAA title. Cal is looking to win back-to-back NCAA titles in the varsity eight for the first time in program history.

Friday, May 31 (All Times PT)
Heats
6:00 a.m. -  I Eights Heat 1 (Cal vs. Indiana, Yale, Ohio State, Duke)
7:24 a.m. – II Eights Heat 4 (Cal vs. Rhode Island, Indiana, Virginia, Harvard, Gonzaga)
7:36 a.m. – Fours Heat 1 (Cal vs Harvard, Washington, Brown, Iowa)

Women's NCAA Division I Team Rankings – USRowing/CRCA Poll
(First-place votes in parenthesis)

1. Washington (10)
2. Stanford (12)
3. Cal (2)
4. Texas
5. Michigan
6. Princeton
7. Ohio
8. Brown
9. Yale
10. Virginia
11. Wisconsin
12. Duke
13.  Rutgers
14.  Iowa
15. Indiana
16. Harvard
17. USC
18. UCLA
19. Michigan State
20. Syracuse