BETHEL, Ohio – Sixth-ranked California women's rowing advanced its first and second varsity eights along with the varsity four to the A/B semifinals of the NCAA Championships after seeing all three entries take second place in their respective heats Friday morning at Harsha Lake.
 
The varsity eight opened up the competition for Cal in heat four. The Golden Bears eased out to a third-place position in the beginning, sandwiched between a charging Tennessee out front with Ohio State trailing. Cal made advances on the Buckeyes and took over the second-place position at the 500-meter mark. The two teams battled for positioning and were neck-and-neck through the middle part of the race, both closing the gap on the Volunteers in the lead. There was overlap between the top three teams towards the final stretch of the race, with Cal putting up a strong performance in its second thousand meters to take the runner-up spot. The Bears fended off Ohio State's charge and gained a two-seat advantage over the Buckeyes in the last 300 meters to clinch second place in the heat with a final time of 7:04.485.
 
Cal's second eight got out to a strong start in the first heat. The Bears were in the front pack from the get-go, holding close with Texas, which was looking for second place behind a quick-starting Pennsylvania boat. The margins were tight through the second 500-meter mark, with substantial overlap between the top three teams. Texas and Penn battled it out for the lead with the Longhorns picking up the advantage, but Cal remained collected and forged ahead to put pressure on Penn's runner-up position. The Bears and the Quakers were then stroke-for-stroke down the course before Cal shifted into another gear and methodically moved through Penn to take over the second-place position. Cal powered forward and was on Texas' heels at the finish, clinching the runner-up position with a final time of 7:08.058.
 
In the varsity four race, Cal pulled out front early with a strong rhythm right out the gate. The Bears were composed and maintained the advantage through the second 500 meters. Princeton edged forward at the 1000-meter mark, but the Bears remained connected with the Tigers and battled for the lead through the third 500 meters. Princeton pulled ahead of Cal to put the Bears in second place before Michigan made its charge forward in the final 500 meters in an attempt to claw into the top two. The Bears defended their position well and held off the Wolverines down the final stretch to secure the runner-up slot with a final time of 7:57.681.
 
"The team did what it needed to do to be in a good position for tomorrow's semifinal," Cal head coach Al Acosta said. "All of our boats will need to be better in certain areas, but overall it was an excellent start. The 1V had a solid last 1500 meters and will get to race Stanford and Washington again, among others. The 2V and four both took early leads in their heats and held off late charges from the third-place finishers. Saturday at NCAAs can be the most stressful day of the year, but I think overall this team is pretty relaxed and will do a great job tomorrow."
 
Cal will return to the water tomorrow morning for the A/B semifinals with its eyes set on finishing in the top three of each race to advance to Sunday's Grand Finals. Cal's V8+ will once again lead off for the Bears at 8:36 a.m. EDT. All races will be streamed live here.
 
Saturday, June 1, Race Schedule (all times EDT):
 
8:36 a.m. – V8+ - A/B Semifinal 2
Lanes 1-6: Syracuse, Michigan, Tennessee, Stanford, California (5), Washington
 
9:08 a.m. – 2V8+ - A/B Semifinal 2
Lanes 1-6: Brown, California (2), Yale, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia
 
9:32 a.m. – V4+ - A/B Semifinal 1
Lanes 1-6: Syracuse, Brown, Princeton, Texas, California (5), Pennsylvania
 
Friday, May 31, Results:
V8+ Heat 4
1. Tennessee – 7:00.246
2. California – 7:04.485
3. Ohio State – 7:05.874
4. Indiana – 7:24.558
5. Southern Methodist – 7:30.148
6. Rhode Island – 7:38.988
 
2V8+ Heat 1
1. Texas – 7:05.369
2. California – 7:08.058
3. Pennsylvania – 7:12.429
4. Syracuse – 7:19.785
5. Gonzaga – 7:42.848
 
V4+ Heat 3
1. Princeton – 7:52.697
2. California – 7:57.681
3. Michigan – 8:02.403
4. Indiana – 8:15.717
5. Northeastern – 8:31.347
6. Jacksonville – 8:35.224
 
Lineups:
V8+
Coxswain – Piper Melnick
Stroke: Minou Bouman
7: Lotta van Westreenen 
6: Julia Hunt-Davis 
5: Antonia Galland 
4: Star Rose Miller
3: Ella Wheeler
2: Fien van Westreenen 
Bow: Amy Furlonger 
 
2V8+
Coxswain – Lily Wieland 
Stroke: Giulia Bosio
7: Sophie Ward 
6: Tabo Stekelenburg 
5: Ella Berger
4: Julia Irmler
3: Lola Crampin
2: Izzy Campbell
Bow: Sammie Henriksen

V4+
Coxswain – Charley Griffiths 
4: Miya Meskis
3: Zoe McKernan
2: Katie McDermott
1: Megan Culbert 
 
Spares – Ella Lewerenz and Francesca Hammerer 
 
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