A two-second victory in the varsity eight propelled the University of California at Berkeley to its first-ever NCAA rowing team championship on Sunday at the 2005 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships at Lake Natoma in Sacramento, Calif. In Division II, Western Washington swept its two races to win its first national title as well.

In the Division I team competition, California trailed Virginia in the overall standings heading into the varsity eight race. But the Golden Bears’ victory, coupled with a fourth-place finish by Virginia, gave the team crown to California. The Golden Bears finished the team competition with 67 points. Virginia finished second with 63 points, followed by Brown with 49 points. Ohio State and Princeton rounded out the top five.

In the varsity eight final, California overtook Princeton during the last 500 meters to win the race. Princeton got off to a strong start, building a 1.26-second advantage over California at the 500-meter mark. But while the Tigers continued to lead through the 1,500-meter mark, the Golden Bears were slowly chipping away at the lead and trailed by only 0.16 seconds as the two crews moved into the final quarter of the race. California used a blistering final 500 meters to overtake Princeton, clocking a 6:20.74 to finish 2.06 seconds ahead of the Tigers. Harvard held on for third place, edging out fourth-place Virginia by 0.36 seconds. Yale and Ohio State finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

While California’s performance in the varsity eight won it the team championship, Virginia controlled its own fate entering the final race of the day after winning both the second varsity eight and the varsity four.

In the second varsity eight, Virginia took an early lead on California in the first 500 meters and en route to the national title. The Cavaliers built a 1.16-second advantage during the first quarter of the race, and while the Golden Bears narrowed the gap slightly during in the middle 1,000 meters, the Virginia crew was just too strong as it pulled away in the final 500 meters to earn a 2.29-second victory. Virginia clocked a 6:34.19 to California’s 6:36.48. Brown finished third in a 6:38.98, followed by Ohio State, Michigan State and Michigan.

In the varsity four, Virginia also took home the national title. Washington got off to a good start and held the lead after the 500-meter mark. However, the Cavaliers used a strong move in the second quarter of the race to take the lead, one they would never relinquish. Virginia clocked a 7:18.42 to finish 1.66 seconds ahead of a hard-charging Brown crew. Brown passed Washington in the final 500 meters to take second, while the Huskies held on for third place. California finished fourth, followed by Wisconsin and Southern California.

In the Division II competition, Western Washington University won both the varsity eight and varsity four races to claim the team title. In the varsity eight, Western Washington clocked a 6:48.72 to finish more than seven seconds ahead of Nova Southeastern’s time of 6:55.91. Mercyhurst College finished third in a 6:59.92, followed by Barry University. In the varsity four, Western Washington stroked a 7:46.82 to finish well ahead of Mercyhurst, which clocked an 8:07.78. Florida Institute of Technology finished third.

For complete results, please visit http://www.jamcotimes.com/2005/ncaaw/index.htm.

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