Rowing oars to shore of Lake Natoma to face top-20 teams in Pac-12 championship
UCLA rowing will head to Gold River, California, to compete in the Pac-12 championship Sunday. The Bruins finished in sixth place last season at the conference championship. (Jocelyn Dao/Daily Bruin)
By Angie Forburger
May 17, 2019 12:36 a.m.
In each of the past four years, the Bruins’ season has ended at the Pac-12 championship.
UCLA women’s rowing (2-1, 0-1 Pac-12) will have another chance to make it past the Pac-12 and into the NCAA championship when it races for the conference title Sunday in Gold River, California.
The Bruins are coming off a Saturday loss to No. 15 USC – the only Pac-12 team that UCLA faced in a dual meet this season.
Earlier this year, UCLA took on No. 1 Washington, No. 2 California, No. 3 Stanford and Washington State in the San Diego Crew Classic. None of the Bruin crews were able to beat any of the top-three teams over their two days in San Diego.
The Bruins got another shot at the Huskies in the Windermere Cup on May 4, but finished behind Washington’s boats in every race.
Five of the seven Pac-12 teams competing are ranked in the top 20 – Washington, Cal, Stanford, USC and No. 19 Oregon State. Though they have yet to break the top 20 this season, both Washington State and UCLA have received votes in the weekly poll on a consistent basis.
The Huskies will head to the championship looking to defend their Pac-12 title for the third year in a row.
The Golden Bears – who finished second at the championship last year – matched up with the Huskies on April 27 and took home the victory in the varsity eight race. The two teams’ varsity eight crews have met twice this year and Cal has won both times.
The Cardinal enter the Pac-12 championship coming off a win against the Golden Bears on May 4. Stanford defeated Cal in four out of six races, with its first and second varsity four boats and second and third varsity eight crews all coming out victorious.
Prior to their win over the Bruins on Saturday, the Trojans won all three of their races on the final day of the Lake Natoma Invitational on April 14. USC finished in fourth place at last season’s Pac-12 championship.
Washington State and Oregon State finished outside the top three alongside UCLA at the 2018 championship.
Washington State most recently hosted Gonzaga on April 28 and defeated the Bulldogs in all five of their races. Against several Pac-12 opponents at the San Diego Crew Classic, the Cougars took home the win in the second varsity four race.
The Beavers have taken first place at three meets this season, defeating the Cougars on March 24.
The 2019 Pac-12 championship will kick off on Lake Natoma in California at 9:15 a.m. Sunday.
