RALEIGH, N.C. – California women's rowing claimed bronze at the 2026 ACC Rowing Championship held on Lake Wheeler in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Golden Bears saw four of their five boats place in the top three of their respective grand finals to take third place as a team, improving upon Cal's fourth-place finish at last year's conference championship. Stanford won the ACC crown for the second consecutive season and Virginia was the runner-up.
 
Cal was one of four teams to advance all five boats to the grand finals on Day 2 of the ACC Championship, joined by Stanford, Virginia and Syracuse.
 
The third varsity eight grand final was filled with excitement to kick off the day of racing. Cal, North Carolina and Syracuse were in a tight race for third coming off the blocks and through the first 500 meters of the race. The Bears made a move to separate from the Tar Heels and the Orange and began to challenge Virginia for second place. The Tar Heels continued to chase the Cavaliers and the Bears and it became a three-way battle for second place as the final 500 meters ensued. The three crews were level as they began their final sprints, and it was stroke-for-stroke as the finish line approached. In a photo-finish, Cal beat the Cavaliers by three one hundredths of a second to take second place – Cal's highest placement of the day – with a time of 6:40.010.
 
In the second varsity four grand final, Cal was in fourth place coming off the blocks and through the first 1000 meters of the race. The Bears began to close in on Virginia in third place in the third 500 meters and pulled even with the Cavaliers as the final stretch of the course approached. The two crews were neck-and-neck as they began their final 500 meters. Cal took a couple of seats over Virginia with 400 meters to go and began to overlap with Syracuse with 150 meters left. The Bears clinched third place with about half a length over Virginia in the end, finishing with a time of 7:18.320.
 
In the varsity four grand final, Stanford separated from the field quickly to settle into first place and left Cal and Virginia to fight for second as they came off the blocks. Their bow balls were nearly level through the first 500 meters of the race before the Cavaliers created some separation. Syracuse made a challenge for third place at the midway point, but the Bears did well to hold their position and keep contact with Virginia. As the final sprint ensued, Cal made a move to close the gap on the Cavaliers in the final 300 meters, but the Cavaliers held onto their advantage as they crossed the line. The Bears finished in 7:18.320 to take third place.
 
In the second varsity eight grand final, Cal stayed with the pack in the hunt for a medal through the first half of the race. Stanford and Virginia settled into first and second place, respectively, while the Bears and Syracuse began the battle for third. The Orange made a move to push ahead into third place in the third 500 meters of the race. Cal fended off Miami in fifth to take fourth place with a time of 6:32.020.
 
It came down to the varsity eight grand final to determine the final standings of the conference championship, with only a few points separating the top four teams as they entered the race. There was overlap between the boats through the first 1000 meters, with Cal in fourth place chasing Syracuse in third at the midway point of the course. The Bears started charging hard in the third 500 meters and overtook Syracuse. Cal put pressure on Virginia in second place, keeping contact with the Cavaliers' boat, but Virginia separated slightly and it came down to Cal and Syracuse battling for third place in the final sprint. Cal maintained its composure and held onto its advantage over the Orange as it crossed the finish line with a time of 6:19.390 to reach the podium.
 
Four student-athletes were named All-ACC at the conclusion of the championship. Ella Wheeler received first-team honors, while Minou Bouman and Olivia Roth claimed second-team honors and coxswain Kira Obsitnik was named to the third team.

"Our team did a great job of managing exams, illness and a last-second lineup change in the 1V," Cal head coach Al Acosta said. "I'm very proud of their resilience and their ability to take on whatever is the next-most important thing. The 3V had an all-time battle with Virginia and ended up ahead on the last stroke of the race. It was great to see the seniors that are not going on to NCAAs leave Cal with such a memorable last race. We're looking forward to getting back to Berkeley, getting healthy, finishing our exams and then starting to make the final push to NCAAs."
 
Cal will now await the announcement of the NCAA Championship field, which is set for May 29-31 at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia. The selection show will air live on NCAA.com on Tuesday, May 19 at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET.
 
RESULTS
Final Team Standings
1. Stanford – 132 points
2. Virginia – 118 points
3. California – 108 points
4. Syracuse – 103 points
5. Miami – 77 points
6. North Carolina – 75 points
7. Duke – 69 points
8. SMU – 47 points
9. Notre Dame – 37 points
10. Louisville – 35 points
11. Clemson – 29 points
12. Boston College – 25 points
 
V8+ Grand Final
1. Stanford – 6:10.230
2. Virginia – 6:15.380
3. California – 6:19.390
4. Syracuse – 6:19.830
5. Miami – 6:26. 650
6. Duke – 6:33.260
 
2V8+ Grand Final
1. Stanford – 6:17.090
2. Virginia – 6:22.810
3. Syracuse – 6:27.260
4. California – 6:32.020
5. Miami – 6:32.990
6. Duke – 6:41.390
 
V4+ Grand Final
1. Stanford – 7:00.490
2. Virginia – 7:12.590
3. California – 7:14.690
4. Syracuse – 7:17.650
5. North Carolina – 7:28.090
6. Notre Dame – 7:31.570
 
2V4+ Grand Final
1. Stanford – 7:04.730
2. Syracuse – 7:15.490
3. California – 7:18.320
4. Virginia – 7:19.550
5. North Carolina – 7:29.800
6. Notre Dame – 7:40.610
 
3V8+ Grand Final
1. Stanford – 6:31.160
2. California – 6:40.010
3. Virginia – 6:40.040
4. North Carolina – 6:40.500
5. Syracuse – 6:44.960
6. Miami – 6:59.560
 
LINEUPS
V8+
Coxswain: Kira Obsitnik
8. Olivia Roth
7. Madeline Cox
6. Minou Bouman
5. Ella Wheeler
4. Star Rose Miller
3. Lily Abbott
2. Julia Irmler
1. Lotta van Westreenen
 
2V8+
Coxswain: Emily Kendall
8. Vittoria Pastorelli
7. Allegra O'Sullivan
6. Giulia Bosio
5. Bonnie Mollee
4. Zara Hoadley
3. Lola Crampin
2. Alexandra (Alex) Pearson
1. Charlotte Johnson
 
3V8+
Coxswain: Saira Mitchell
8. Gabrielle Jennings
7. Eve Barrancotto
6. Claire Banks
5. Kate Nixon
4. Beatrice Knight
3. Kylee Harrington
2. Frieda Cramer
1. Charlotte Hill
 
V4+
Coxswain: Julia Fullington
4. Vivi Spitz
3. Annie Brown
2. Lily Pember
1. Chloe Frushtick
 
2V4+
Coxswain: Samantha Jaffe
4. Francesca Hammerer
3. Pippa Jamieson
2. Alexandra Ausfahl
1. Kylie Landers
 
STAY POSTED
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