Cal's Men, Women Crews Head to Oregon for Pac-12 Rowing Championships

Cal’s No. 1-ranked men’s rowing team and the Bears’ No. 10-ranked women’s rowing squad will head to Oregon this weekend to take part in the Pac-12 rowing championships at Dexter Lake in Lowell, Ore., for Sunday's Pac-12 Championship.

Cal is hoping to end the recent dominance of Washington, which has won the past four conference team rowing championships in both the men’s and women’s categories.

The last time the Cal men won the Pac-12 title was 2016, which is also the last time the Golden Bears women took the conference title.

"It's a big one," said men’s head coach Scott Frandsen on the Cal website. "The season has been building up towards the Pac-12 Championship and the IRA [national championships] and this is another big step as we get into the championships. The guys are excited to get through this week of exams and feel refreshed and get ready to race on Sunday."

Cal men’s varsity eight boat is ranked No. 1 in the country in the May 4 Intercollegiate Rowing Association poll, with Washington No. 5 and Stanford No. 10. Those figure to be the top varsity eight boats in this Sunday’s conference championship.

Last month the Cal men made a statement when its varsity eight boat won easily over Washington at Redwood Shores in Redwood City. Cal finished nearly 10 seconds ahead of the Huskies, recording a time of 5 minutes, 32.2 seconds compared with Washington's 5:42.0.

In last year's Pac-12 championships, the Bears’ varsity eight boat finished second to Washington by 4.5 seconds, and the Huskies won the team competition with 72 points compared with 63 for second-place Cal.

Washington and Cal also finished first and second, in that order, in the men's IRA nationals last year.

Cal’s women’s rowing team is ranked No. 10 in the nation in the May 4 Pocock women’s poll, behind No. 2 Stanford, which figures to be the favorite on Sunday, and No. 8 Washington.

Cal’s varsity eight women’s crew lost to Washington by 3.3 seconds on April 23. This year’s much anticipated Big Row between Cal and Stanford, scheduled for April 28, was canceled this year because of health protocols within the Stanford program.

"Although the team is currently taking final exams, we've gotten in some really good training," said women’s head coach Al Acosta. "With the return of a few rowers that weren't able to race against Washington all boats are new lineups and they've come together nicely. The Pac-12 is arguably the toughest conference in the nation for women's rowing. So, we're excited about getting up to Dexter Lake and racing for a Pac-12 title and a berth at the NCAA National Championship."

Last year the Cal women finished third in the Pac-12, behind Washington and second-place Stanford, in both the varsity eight race and the team standings.

Sunday marks a new destination for the Pac-12 Championships. Since the 1970s the championship has typically been held at Lake Natoma in Sacramento County. This year the championships will be held at Dexter Lake.

"It's a different venue, typically we are up in Lake Natoma," added Frandsen. "It was decided to move to Dexter Lake this year, it's an unknown venue and sometimes that can bring some excitement and challenges, but it is something different."

Sunday's Schedule:

9:00 a.m. – Men's Novice Eight

9:10 a.m. – Women's Novice Eight

9:20 a.m. – Men's Third Varsity Eight

9:30 a.m. – Women's Third Varsity Eight

9:40 a.m. – Men's Varsity Four

9:50 a.m. – Women's Varsity Four

10:00 a.m. – Men's Second Varsity Eight

10:10 a.m. – Women's Second Varsity Eight

10:20 a.m. – Men's Varsity Eight

10:30 a.m. – Women's Varsity Eight

Cover photo by Zach Franzen

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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