The Cal men's rowing team took a big step Friday on the opening day of the 2021 IRA National Championship.

One more step and the Golden Bears could find themselves atop the medal stand Saturday morning.

Cal won all three of its semifinal races – including the top time among all crews in two of them – and is  in position to battle for the national championship on Saturday on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J.

"I'm real pleased with how the guys raced today and how they handled some difficult conditions," Cal head coach Scott Frandsen said. "I think all of our crews did what they needed to do to execute their different race plans. That goal was accomplished. It's always been about racing to get on the medal stand, and we have a chance to do that tomorrow morning."

After qualifying fourth in morning time trials in the varsity eight, the Bears won their semifinal race in a time of 6:19.449 – which was the best mark of any crew during the five semifinal races. The top two boats from the semis advanced to the Grand Final, and Cal had to hold off a strong performance by Stanford and Brown to win. Washington, which qualified first during time trials, won its semifinal in a time of 6:20.85.

Cal's second varsity eight won its semifinal race by over three seconds over Northeastern. The Bears' third varsity eight also posted the best time across all semifinals with a mark of 6:28.009, outdistancing Northeastern by over four seconds.

"The improvement and progression through the spring continues," Frandsen said. "The confidence has been building. It's been a long, difficult year with tons of ups and downs, but the guys have had a consistent mentality and have been able to adjust and just keep on moving forward. I'm happy with how we handled ourselves today. Now, we need to take another step forward."

The Bears qualified second during time trials in the second varsity eight, third varsity eight and varsity four. Inclement weather postponed the varsity four semifinals, and they were eventually canceled altogether. The top seven seeds from varsity four time trials advanced straight to Saturday's Grand Final.

Cal is one of only three schools that advanced all four of its boats to the Grand Final, along with Washington and Dartmouth.
 

SUNDAY'S GRAND FINAL SCHEDULE
Third Varsity Eight – 5:20 a.m. PT
Second Varsity Eight – 6:10 a.m. PT
Varsity Eight – 7 a.m. PT
Varsity Four – 7:30 a.m. PT