Women’s Lightweight Rowing – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com Breaking news from the Farm since 1892 Wed, 01 Nov 2023 05:36:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://stanforddaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-DailyIcon-CardinalRed.png?w=32 Women’s Lightweight Rowing – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com 32 32 204779320 This Week in Sports: Men’s water polo, women’s volleyball and soccer extend win streaks https://stanforddaily.com/2023/10/25/this-week-in-sports-mens-water-polo-womens-volleyball-and-soccer-extend-win-streaks/ https://stanforddaily.com/2023/10/25/this-week-in-sports-mens-water-polo-womens-volleyball-and-soccer-extend-win-streaks/#respond Thu, 26 Oct 2023 06:57:41 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1234534 Men's water polo won twice as women's volleyball extended their win streak to 11 and women's soccer remains undefeated.

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Men’s water polo 

No. 3 Stanford (13-5, 2-2 MPSF) scored a 13-11 victory over No. 8 Long Beach State (14-9, 1-2 SCC) on Thursday at Avery Aquatic Center. Stanford established a two-goal lead early in the first period that carried over the remainder of the game. Senior Riley Pittman was the leading scorer for the Cardinal with four goals on six shots. On Sunday, as the team celebrated Senior Day, Stanford beat No. 7 U.C. Davis (15-7, 3-0 Big West) at home. The senior class scored 10 of the team’s 17 goals — Ethan Parrish scored a career-high six goals, Pittman tallied two and Andrew Churukian and Soren Jensen added one each.

Women’s soccer

On Saturday, No. 5 women’s soccer (14-0-2, 7-0-1 Pac-12) defeated Oregon State (3-8-5, 0-6-2 Pac-12) 3-1 at Cagan Stadium. Fifth-year midfielder Maya Doms opened the Cardinal scoring in the ninth minute, assisted by redshirt sophomore Andrea Kitahata who was involved in all three Stanford goals. Kitahata assisted freshman midfielder Joelle Jung who put the ball into the back of the net for the second Cardinal goal. The Beavers managed to narrow the deficit before halftime, but Kitahata restored the two-goal margin in the 75th minute and the team maintained its 3-1 lead until the final whistle.

On Sunday, in Stanford’s annual Pink Match for breast cancer awareness, the Cardinal hosted Oregon (0-14-2, 0-8 Pac-12) and blanked the Ducks 2-0, keeping their undefeated record. In the ninth minute, sophomore midfielder Jasmine Aikey scored the opening goal after stealing the ball on an Oregon misplay. Graduate student defender Kennedy Wesley cemented Stanford’s victory in the 77th minute when Aikey bent a corner kick to the back post where Wesley ran the ball into the goal.

Men’s soccer

No. 17 Stanford (7-2-4, 1-1-4 Pac-12) cruised to a 4-0 home victory over Oregon State (6-5-3, 3-1-3 Pac-12). The Cardinal took the lead just 70 seconds after the kickoff when redshirt sophomore midfielder Shane de Flores headed the ball into the back of the net, his first of two goals in the half. In the second half, sophomore forward Liam Doyle and sophomore midfielder Will Cleary added two more goals for the Cardinal.

On Sunday, Stanford tied Washington (5-5-5, 2-3-2 Pac-12) 1-1 in Seattle thanks to a goal one minute before the final whistle. The battle between the two teams was close. However, the Cardinal launched 13 shots, including five on target while the Huskies had six with only one on goal. Stanford missed many chances in the first half, including when redshirt senior midfielder Mark Fisher’s shot hit the crossbar early in the game. Shortly after, a Stanford goal was called back.

Women’s lightweight rowing

At the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta on Saturday, Stanford dominated the Lightweight Fours. The team, which was comprised of graduate student Emily Molins at stroke, sophomores Brooke Ruszkiewicz in the No. 3 seat, Juliette Lermusiaux at No. 2, Hannah Justicz in the bow and coxed by senior Lydia Garnett, took the lead from the gun and held it until the end, crossing the finish line in 18:42.795 — 16 seconds in front of runner-up Wisconsin. The Cardinal lifted the City of Cambridge Trophy for the first time since its inception in 1978.

Women’s rowing

On Sunday, also at the Head of the Charles regatta, defending national champion Stanford women’s rowing had a strong showing in the Women’s Championship Eights. The Cardinal entered the competition with two boats. Stanford’s A boat competed in the College-Championship division and earned seventh place in the 34 boat field with a time of 16:28.069. The B boat rowed in the Junior Varsity division and finished 14th overall with a time of 16:48.979, ahead of the A boats from Princeton, Duke and other strong rowing programs. 

Football

Stanford (2-5, 1-4 Pac-12) lost to No. 25 UCLA (5-2, 2-2 Pac-12) 42-7 on Saturday. The Cardinal trailed 0-21 at halftime and had no answers to the Bruins’ offense and defense. Freshman wide receiver Tiger Bachmeier scored the only Cardinal touchdown after a third-quarter 20-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Ashton Daniels. Bachmeier recorded a season-high eight catches.

Women’s golf

Friday through Sunday, Stanford hosted 19 teams at the 2023 Stanford Intercollegiate, presented by Condoleezza Rice, an event which raised over $260,000 for breast cancer research. In the team competition, the Cardinal were poised to take the lead entering the final day at -5, pulling to within two strokes of the lead. A Sunday charge, however, was not to be, as the team finished third at +2, 11 strokes behind winner USC. Two Stanford players shined in the individual competition. On Sunday, sophomore Kelly Xu matched her second round two-under par 69, including an eagle, to tie for third in the 100 player field, just two strokes behind winner Catherine Park from USC. It was Xu’s best finish of the year. Freshman Paula Martin Sampedro closed with an even-par 71, good for a tie for sixth place, her third top-10 finish in her initial three collegiate tournaments.

Women’s tennis

Stanford was well represented at the ITA Northwest Regionals held at Taube Family Tennis Stadium, with nine players that competed in singles and four doubles pairs. Junior Connie Ma, who won the event two years ago, was a runner up. Her battle against Cal’s Hannah Viller Moeller came down to the wire. Ma, who lost the first set 4-6, dominated the second set 6-1. The third and final set was tied 6-6 before Ma fell in a hard-fought tiebreaker 6-8. However, Moeller was the only non-Stanford athlete in the semis. Junior Alexandra Yepifanova lost a close battle with Moeller 6-1, 4-6, 3-6. Junior Valencia Xu picked up some impressive wins before falling in the semifinal to her teammate, Ma, in three sets. Ma and Yepifanova also reached the semifinals in doubles but lost 6-7 (6), 6-2, 0-1 (7) against Cal’s Mao Mushika and Moeller, respectively.

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Senior Claire Smythe looks ahead to lightweight rowing’s shortened final season https://stanforddaily.com/2021/04/17/senior-claire-smythe-looks-ahead-to-lightweight-rowings-shortened-final-season/ https://stanforddaily.com/2021/04/17/senior-claire-smythe-looks-ahead-to-lightweight-rowings-shortened-final-season/#respond Sat, 17 Apr 2021 18:11:41 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1181260 Season openers are almost never senior days, but that’s what senior Claire Smythe and the four other seniors on Stanford lightweight rowing will be facing as they take to the water on Saturday at Redwood Shores.

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Season openers are almost never senior days, but that’s what senior Claire Smythe and the four other seniors on Stanford lightweight rowing will be facing as they take to the water on Saturday at Redwood Shores.

It’s part of the Cardinal’s shortened season — just three competitions, including Saturday’s races against St. Mary’s and the University of San Diego (USD) — on its quest for a 10th trophy in the varsity eights event in its final season at the varsity level. The program’s previous nine championships — the most in the nation — have all come after 2009. When taking into the other events, varsity fours and double sculls, Stanford still reigns supreme. 

Smythe helped earn two of those national championships in her freshman and sophomore years, and she’s grateful to have the chance to race for a third, even in the season’s condensed format. According to Smythe, competitions normally include over a dozen teams, with multiple heats to qualify the final races. 

“It’s just like a big rowing festival,” she said. “So it’s definitely a lot quieter this year.”

Rather than compete in those normal regattas, the team will instead travel down the West Coast for a head-to-head against San Diego State on May 7. Three weeks later, the team will head to West Windsor, New Jersey for the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championship Regatta, which will definitely be quieter.

In 2019, the Cardinal beat out six other teams in varsity eights and varsity fours. This year, only Stanford, Wisconsin and Boston University will be fielding teams, with Georgetown as a potential fourth competitor. Saturday’s opponents of USD and St. Mary’s won’t be present. They’re openweight teams and will therefore be vying for the NCAA National Championship in Sarasota, Florida, the same weekend as the IRA regatta. 

Smythe says racing teams that are bigger and stronger is good practice and has helped the team develop a good mentality. She believes a big aspect of the team’s competitive spirit “is just having that underdog mindset and just being prepared and aware that there’s always going to be factors working against you.”

One of those factors working against the team is the July decision by the University to discontinue support for the lightweight team along with 10 others at the varsity level, a decision that disappointed Smythe. 

“I think that they were given certain requirements and they chose teams that didn’t fit their mold of what they thought athletics should be,” she said.

The way the lightweight rowing team breaks the mold is with its high concentration of walk-ons. According to Smythe, 13 of last year’s 30 rowers were walk-ons. Even though this year’s roster shrank down to 14, and the number of walk-ons to four, she contends that the team is still very welcoming to newcomers, as long as they’re under the height requirement. 

“We’ll take them, and we’ll coach them, and we’ll give them training and we’ll support them as much as we can,” she said. “At the end of the day, rowing is a team sport, and a team culture.”

While alumni and parents have organized to “Save Stanford Rowing,” Smythe acknowledged the difficulty of the job, and the sensitivity of the issue.

“We understand that it’s a very delicate matter and this is a sport that’s very precious to all of us,” she said. “There are a lot of different important causes to fight for, so we’re trying to approach this issue with as much like sensibility and respect as we can.”

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Decorated alums speak out against Stanford’s intention to cut 11 sports https://stanforddaily.com/2020/11/22/36-sports-strong/ https://stanforddaily.com/2020/11/22/36-sports-strong/#respond Mon, 23 Nov 2020 03:20:12 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1175447 Alumni from across sports then joined together to pen a response in Stanford Magazine's December edition, which was published on Friday. The alumni letter — written by the newly formed coalition, 36 Sports Strong — criticized the University's "fundamental shift" and called for "Stanford leaders" to engage "in an effort to remedy this situation."

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“What happens when trees fall,” the Stanford Rowing Association Instagram asked on Friday.

Their answer: The rest of the forest hears it.

More specifically, alums from all 36 varsity athletics teams currently offered by Stanford join together to defend the metaphoric threatened trees.

On July 8, the University announced that it intended to cut 11 sports: men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling.

The University cited a mounting financial deficit exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, among other factors that prompted the cancellations. The University also announced that the 2020-21 season would be the final year for each of the 11 varsity programs before being downgraded to club teams.

About 240 current student-athletes and 22 coaches are a part of the affected sports — but over the last four and a half months, alums, families and the larger Stanford community has shown that a lot more people have a stake in the University’s decision.

They’ve fought back through fundraising, conversations with administration, newspaper publications and social media. Now, alums are adding Stanford Magazine to that list.

In its September issue, the magazine published an article describing Stanford’s planned cuts — primarily reiterating the University’s initial statement.

Alums from across sports then joined together to pen a response in the magazine’s December edition, which was published on Friday. The alums’ letter — written by the newly formed coalition, 36 Sports Strong — criticized the University’s “fundamental shift” and called for “Stanford leaders” to engage “in an effort to remedy this situation.” Their ultimate goal: reinstate all 11 programs.

The signees include, but are not limited to women’s volleyball’s Foluke Akinradewo ’09; women’s soccer’s Julie Foudy ’93; men’s basketball and volleyball’s Adam Keefe ’92; football’s Andrew Luck ’12; softball’s Jessica Mendoza ’02 M.A. ’03; wrestling’s Patricia Miranda ’01 M.A. ’02; women’s soccer’s Kelley O’Hara ’10; men’s volleyball’s Erik ’12 and Kawika Shoji ’10; women’s volleyball’s Kerri Walsh Jennings ’00; and women’s golf’s Michelle Wie ’11.

“The impact of the cuts is being felt not only by the 4,000 alumni of the 11 teams but also by more than 40,000 alumni of the greater Stanford athletic community,” the letter said.

The letter does not specifically address University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne, nor Athletics Director Bernard Muir, although they are the implied addressees.

Stanford Athletics did not respond for comment, nor did it provide further information on the conversations that have taken place between alums and the University.

“It’s such a special and strong coalition, really highlighting what our traditional athletic department has meant to all of us — no matter the sport,” Kawika Shoji said about 36 Sports Strong. “It’s an impressive list, leaders in the world of sport, that have come together to support one another. We get it, we understand what the 36 teams mean to our beloved Stanford and its values, and our hope is that the university now starts to understand that, too.” 

Kawika Shoji is a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist and 2010 NCAA national champion setter. He now plays volleyball professionally in Italy for Pallavolo Padova.

Kawika and many alums have already spoken out against the University’s intended cut, but the 36 Sports Strong letter is particularly impactful because of its cross-team coalition and the fame of the participating alums.

One of the most impactful signees is arguably Luck — who’s been a poster child (quite literally) for Stanford’s student-athlete ideal for the past decade. This is his first major statement since he prematurely retired from the NFL last season. The former Colts and Stanford quarterback is notoriously private, and his former Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh called him the “anti-celebrity” for his humility.

Signees, now scattered across the world, have played professionally in leagues such as the NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, MLS, NWSL and LPGA. Many have also appeared in the Olympics and/or are included in Stanford Athletics Hall-of-Fame, and most have not questioned their affiliation with Stanford until now.

“We were stunned by this decision because we love Stanford and this changes how we view Stanford,” 36 Sports Strong wrote in the response. “We are asking the university to reconsider.”

“For me, joining the coalition meant adding my voice to a growing outcry over Stanford’s unfortunate decision to eliminate 11 of our programs,” wrote one signee, Cameron Miller ’16, to The Daily. 

Miller competed for the track and cross country teams, both non-revenue sports, while on The Farm. Leaders of 36 Sports Strong reached out to him about joining the coalition after reading his columns that he had written for The Daily on the future of the NCAA and NCAA policy.

“The Stanford Athletics family is a large but close one, and I have friends whose former teams are now gone — perhaps forever,” Miller wrote. “So even though I’m incredibly thankful that the track and field program still exists, I am crushed that many athletes and alumni no longer have a home here at Stanford. And it’s been really encouraging to see how the athlete community has rallied around each other in this challenging time.”

36 Sports Strong’s letter also argues that Stanford’s decision goes against the University’s fundamental values.

“We all recognize the importance of athletics to our Stanford education and disagree with this decision based on how it was made and communicated,” the letter continues. “This precipitous action was not based on values Stanford Athletics has demonstrated over decades, including our commitment to Title IX and our 25 consecutive Director’s Cup wins — an honor that recognizes the breadth of our athletics programs.”

“One of the reasons that makes Stanford unique is the fact that it had a broad-based athletic program that provided competition opportunities for so many students,” Miller wrote. “And we’ve lost some of that with the University’s decision. And with that, we’ve lost a bit of what makes Stanford unique. It was a point of pride — and inspiration — to see so many athletes and teams competing at a high level. And I think that ethos has been irreparably damaged by the decision the University made.”

Alums were also shocked by the lack of notice from the University preceding the cut. Stanford did not alert alums or solicit additional donations to endow programs in jeopardy before the short Zoom webinar that announced the cancellations to current student athletes.

“Stanford botched this in almost every conceivable way,” Miller wrote, “from the financial mismanagement that led to the supposedly precarious budget situation to the way they informed the athletes their teams would no longer exist.”

“We wish the university had reached out to us in advance of the announcement to discuss its financial challenges and to explore possible solutions,” the coalition’s letter said. “We could have helped. We still can.”

Contact Cybele Zhang at cybelez ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Champs cut short: Lightweight rowers fear effects of University’s decision https://stanforddaily.com/2020/08/26/sports-champs-cut-short/ https://stanforddaily.com/2020/08/26/sports-champs-cut-short/#respond Thu, 27 Aug 2020 00:37:54 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1171625 The Cardinal women’s lightweight rowing squad won its fifth straight Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) team title in June 2019, winning both the Varsity Eight and Varsity Four Grand Finals. Despite the fact that the team is also one of the most successful in recent Stanford Athletics history, the lightweight team is now facing cancellation.

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“Champs cut short” is part of a collection of articles documenting the reactions of the Stanford athletic community to the July 8 announcement that Stanford Athletics would discontinue 11 varsity programs, including the lightweight rowing team, following the 2020-21 season.

The Cardinal women’s lightweight rowing squad won its fifth-straight Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) team title in June 2019, winning both the Varsity Eight and Varsity Four Grand Finals. The victory secured head coach Kate Bertko, who has been at Stanford for three years, her third-consecutive national title and cemented the Cardinal women’s status as a dominant IRA lightweight program. 

Even though the team is also one of the most successful in recent Stanford Athletics history, the lightweight team is now facing cancellation.

“I don’t know what more our team can do, figuring that we’ve earned nine out of the last 10 women’s lightweight national championships,” said Mary Cooper ’22. “Maybe 10 out of 10, but we tried our best.”

Stanford’s nine overall IRA titles in program history is four more than the next closest competitors, Wisconsin and Princeton, which have each won four. The IRA title, and the accompanying Camden County Freeholders Trophy, is given to the school that wins the Varsity Eight Grand Final race. 

The IRA Championship Team Trophy, first awarded in 2015, is given to the school that accumulates the most points between the Varsity Eight, Varsity Four and Double Sculls races. Stanford has won all five trophies from 2015 to 2019.

Champs cut short: Lightweight rowers fear effects of University’s decision

Lindsey Rust ’23 watched the announcement while training for the upcoming season in Crossberry, Vermont.

On the Zoom webinar, Rust recalled Bernard Muir, Director of Athletics, saying, “Stanford is getting rid of these 11 programs.” 

“I just remember hearing lightweight rowing,” she said, “and my heart sank.” 

Some rowers, including Noa Bregman ’23, initially believed the Zoom link was fake.

“We were all texting in our [team] group chat about how we thought it was spam,” Bregman said of the email invitation preceding the webinar. “The captains were saying not to open the link because it was just so weird, last minute and random, coming from the head of athletics.”

Bregman did join the call, but Cooper, who was on a Fourth of July road trip with her family, was convinced that the link was spam and did not log on.

Cooper found the short notice and delivery of the news to be “disrespectful.” 

“I understand it’s a hard choice to make and there’s never a good way to announce bad news,” Cooper said, “but that was the worst way you could’ve done it.”

IRA versus NCAA 

The University cited a variety of reasons for the discontinuation of the 11 sports. Stanford primarily emphasized an existing financial deficit, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Stanford Athletics also cited “sponsorship of the sport at the NCAA Division I level” as another reason justifying the cancellation of rowing and other teams.

Athletes found many of these reasons confusing and even contradictory, especially given the history of the team.

Champs cut short: Lightweight rowers fear effects of University’s decision
Clara Everett ’22 (left above) and Diba Massihpour ’19 (right above) were both members of the 2019 IRA title winning team. (Photo: KAREN AMBROSE HICKEY/isiphotos.com)

“I really think that this is just part of a much bigger issue in terms of the whole structure of college athletics and how it’s turned into a corporate business,” Bregman said. 

The Sport Journal explains that the business model of the NCAA has been criticized as problematic because athletes are paid solely with scholarships while universities, coaches and TV networks are profiting from the athletes’ names, images and successes.

The NCAA is the money-maker in college sports, largely due to its sponsorship of football and men’s basketball. Between September 2018 and August 2019, the NCAA reported a revenue upward of $1.1 billion, the majority of the money, as usual, coming from the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. In contrast, lightweight rowing is a net-negative revenue sport.

Lightweight rowing is governed by the IRA, which was established in 1894, 11 years before the NCAA’s founding. The first men’s and women’s openweight rowing programs were established in the late 1800s and originally joined the IRA. Women’s lightweight rowing, though founded later, followed suit and joined the IRA, too.

Women’s openweight rowing, in contrast, is now an NCAA-sanctioned sport, so teams compete at the NCAA Division I championships. The Cardinal women’s openweight team was the only Stanford rowing team that was not cut, likely because of its NCAA sponsorship.

The University’s initial statement said that it had “exhaust[ed] all alternatives before making profound changes [to their] programs,” but multiple athletes said that neither the current team nor the coaching staff were involved in the decision-making process.

Two associate athletic directors met virtually with the team following the webinar announcement, but Bregman said “they really just bounced back to the FAQs and didn’t give us any new information.” Student-athletes expressed frustration at what they perceived as a lack of clarity on the rationale behind the decision.

Muir also held a Zoom call with the lightweight rowing team about a week after the announcement was made. Although that call lasted nearly an hour, Bregman said it was just more of the same information.

“He didn’t give us very clear answers,” she said. “It was pretty ambiguous, and [he] referred back to the FAQs a lot. His most common response was that it was financial difficulties, systemic financial issues in the athletic department, [so] they couldn’t sustain 36 teams anymore.”

Champs cut short: Lightweight rowers fear effects of University’s decision
Lightweight rowing has produced three national team members — two for the U.S. and one for Canada. (Photo: KAREN AMBROSE HICKEY/isiphotos.com)

‘The club idea sounds nice in theory’

Members of the women’s lightweight and men’s rowing community started Save Stanford Rowing with the goal of supporting the reinstatement of both of Stanford’s rowing teams to varsity status by “closing the Stanford University Athletics funding shortfall for these programs.” The website includes team testimonials that highlight the benefits and importance of the teams and their varsity statuses, as well as a petition, which had over 4,000 signatures at the time of publication.

Save Stanford Rowing writes on its FAQ page that it is “already poised for success” in terms of endowing both rowing programs, noting that they believe they have “a path forward to the finances required for an endowment that positions the programs for success.” The University indicated in its initial announcement, however, that regardless of the level of philanthropic support, the decision is final and all money will be “directed towards supporting [the sports] at the club level” if they decide to continue as a club sport after the 2020-2021 varsity season.

But many current athletes do not endorse the shift to a club team, citing a reduction in resources and the loss of the ability to compete at the national championship.

The IRA prohibits club teams from competing against varsity teams in the national championship, effectively stripping the team of their opportunity to compete at the highest level.

“If we aren’t a varsity team, we aren’t allowed to compete at that level, which is really the whole point of training all year,” Bregman said. “The club idea sounds nice in theory, before you really think about what it means and how it affects the team.”

Rowers also feared the health risks of a club sport. Unlike varsity teams, club teams do not have access to the robust Stanford Athletics medical resources and athletics trainers.

It is also unclear whether current coaches would be willing to coach a club team. According to the University, “contracts of all coaches will be honored,” but after their current contract expires, they would likely take a large pay cut if coaching a club team.

Champs cut short: Lightweight rowers fear effects of University’s decision
Lightweight rowing has won IRA Championships Team Trophy every year the award has been in existence. (Photo: KAREN AMBROSE HICKEY/isiphotos.com)

Accessibility on the water 

Another reason Stanford cited when cutting rowing was “impact on the diversity of our student-athlete population.”

Cooper, however, highlighted the accessibility of the sport, saying that the team “provides a lot to the University in terms of diversity, accessibility with walk-ons and just different opportunities.”

Cooper is also a below-the-knee amputee, holding the distinction of being the only disabled athlete currently competing for the Cardinal.

“I compete with my prosthetic leg,” she explained, “and they were so accepting and welcoming of that. I immediately felt like a member of the team and was really excited to be part of it. There are some mornings where we wake up very early, and I’m like, I can’t believe I’m doing this, but my teammates and our coaches are phenomenal — they keep me going.”

Lightweight rowing gives smaller girls and women a level playing field to pursue the sport in college and beyond. In comparison, many top openweight rowers tend to be taller, more muscular and generally bigger — making it nearly impossible for those who qualify for the lightweight category to effectively compete against the openweight rowers.

Many athletes who begin the sport in middle or high school start as lightweight rowers, then transition to competing in openweight rowing near the end of their high school career or when they begin college.

Rust, who took unofficial visits for both lightweight and openweight teams during her recruiting process, said the lightweight sport “definitely gives people who are smaller the opportunity to compete against girls who aren’t a foot taller than them.”

Rust ultimately chose Stanford for its combination of a strong academics and the opportunity to row for one of the most competitive lightweight teams in the IRA. 

Without having a lightweight team, however, current rowers fear the lack of varsity status may deter smaller students from athletics. 

“Without even having lightweight rowing, it would eliminate such a huge pool of athletes who would never even start rowing at first,” Bregman said. “You’re not just going to be eliminating future lightweight rowers — you’re also going to be eliminating that opportunity for future openweight rowers at other Division I colleges to compete because they never would have started to begin with.”

Only 10 schools have varsity lightweight programs, and the cancellation of a successful program like Stanford’s might trickle down.

“Most high school lightweight rowers look up to Stanford lightweight rowing as their role model,” Bregman said. “Since I started rowing, I looked up to the Stanford athletes as these goddesses, as these insane athletes that I worked so hard to be like.”

Women’s openweight head coach Derek Byrnes has not contacted members of the lightweight team about the possibility of allowing some athletes to transition to the openweight team to give the team time to process the University’s decision, according to Bregman. She said that potential transition is something she and her teammates are interested in, but she acknowledged that it will be difficult for Byrnes to take on a group of new athletes.

“Taking away our team is one thing, but not allowing us to continue rowing at any level would just be even worse,” she said.

Byrnes did not respond to The Daily’s request for comment.

Champs cut short: Lightweight rowers fear effects of University’s decision
Isabella Duan ’21, Hillary Umphrey ’21, Kira Jan ’21, Tiffany Ong ’19 and Kate Hickey ’20 (Photo: KAREN AMBROSE HICKEY/isiphotos.com)

That walk-ons can join the Cardinal rowing program and make a major impact is one of the unique aspects of the sport. Most varsity sports on the Farm are comprised of a majority of recruited athletes, many of whom have been specializing in their sport since elementary school.

At the beginning of each season, however, the rowing team holds a tryout period when anyone who meets the weight requirement is welcome to train with the team for two weeks. Athletes like Cooper, who are willing to commit to morning practices, year-round training, the responsibilities of being a Division I athlete and have acceptable fitness levels, are invited to join the team.

“They add so much to the team culture, team energy and the general environment,” Bregman said of the importance of walk-ons.

Walk-ons accounted for nearly half of the lightweight team’s roster last season, according to Cooper.

“Stanford is really losing something so great by eliminating our team,” she said. “It’s not only stripping recruited athletes of the opportunity to compete at the highest level, but also walk-ons, who didn’t necessarily come to Stanford knowing they were going to be varsity athletes, but have joined our team and made it such a huge part of their identity, too.”

Contact Sofia Scekic at sscekic ‘at’ stanford.edu and Logan Little at loganparislittle ‘at’ gmail.com.

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Bernard Muir defends cancellations in press conference https://stanforddaily.com/2020/07/08/sports-cancellations-muir/ https://stanforddaily.com/2020/07/08/sports-cancellations-muir/#respond Thu, 09 Jul 2020 02:16:08 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1169961 In a follow-up press conference to the sudden news that Stanford Athletics planned to cut 11 of its 36 varsity programs, athletic director Bernard Muir clarified that the decision was not solely based on COVID-19 concerns.

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In a follow-up press conference to the sudden news that Stanford Athletics planned to cut 11 of its 36 varsity programs, Athletic Director Bernard Muir clarified that the decision was not solely based on COVID-19 concerns.

“To blame this all on COVID would be erroneous, and it would not be accurate,” he said. “But it certainly helped contribute to the growing deficit moving forward.” 

The affected sports are men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling. The teams include 240 students and 22 coaches. The decision also included eliminating 20 support staff. 

The athletics department faced a $12 million structural deficit before the pandemic, which caused the deficiency to balloon to $25 million. In the potential and increasingly likely event that football will not be played, Muir said that the deficit would double again to $50 million. Keeping with the university’s wishes for the department to be self-sustainable, Muir said the choice had to be made. 

Stanford athletes were sent an email just after 9 a.m. PT about a  Zoom meeting to be held just 50 minutes later in which Muir delivered the news. During the conference call, Muir expressed regret that the announcement could not be made in person. Coaches were told in an earlier announcement. 

“We did that this morning on relatively short notice, just trying to get that word out,” Muir said. “I have not had the opportunity to interact with our student-athletes to this point since the call this morning, but our sport administrator for each sport is going to be on calls with the teams — just so we can process, help answer questions, and then go from there.”

Teams planned meetings for the afternoon to discuss options. All teams would be allowed to play one more season with full support. Coaches will receive a bonus to incentivize staying on for the year and will have their full contracts honored, while students will be able to stay on scholarship for their entire time at Stanford. 

This scholarship extension includes incoming freshmen that were accepted but have not yet stepped foot on campus as an enrolled student. As equivalency sports, however, most programs were able to offer only partial scholarships to many players instead of full scholarships. This means that while 240 students will lose their sport at Stanford, only up to 35.4 full-ride scholarships will be honored, according to Troy Clardy of the TreeCast

That number comes from 4.5 scholarships from men’s fencing, 5 for women’s fencing, 12 for field hockey, 4.5 for men’s volleyball and 9.9 for wrestling, the five sports that were recognized as NCAA Division I programs and adhered to the governing body’s scholarship limits. The number does not include any scholarships given to athletes in the other six sports. Programs are free to offer fewer than the maximum number of scholarships, and it was known that wrestling was not offering its full complement of scholarships.

“This has been a heartbreaking day for all of us, especially those student-athletes and coaches who are involved,” Muir said. “We made this decision only after exhausting all viable alternatives. It recently became painfully clear that we would not remain financially stable and support 36 varsity sports at a nationally competitive level, which is what we so desire.”

Muir did not know if any of the athletes in the 11 affected sports were on campus currently for voluntary workouts, but some local students told The Daily that they are using Stanford facilities to train.

In order to maintain all 11 teams on a permanent basis, to endow scholarships, coaching positions and “other elements to the department that we would need to do and not take away from the 25 that we’re going to continue,” Muir said, would cost $200 million. On a yearly basis, the 11 teams cost the department a combined $8 million.

On the announcement’s FAQ page, it was stressed that the decision was final. Even if a donor was willing to support the team, the athletic department would direct it toward the club level. If a team wanted to play as a club sport, it would be student driven.

Because none of the affected sports are baseball, men’s or women’s basketball, football or men’s ice hockey, any transfer would be immediately eligible to play at any other school — provided that they are academically and athletically eligible. Stanford has said they will be supportive of an athlete’s decision and would offer a transfer-release agreement.

“We also know that some [athletes] might choose to go elsewhere and want to continue to play their sport at the Division I level, and so we will help, assist in that regard with our compliance staff and make sure that they have the opportunity to transfer,” Muir said.

A recurring theme of the press conference was that Muir wanted the 25 remaining sports to live up to the moniker “Home of Champions.” Stanford has won a national championship for 44 consecutive years, and its 126 total is more than any other college. The 11 sports have accounted for 20 of those championships, but a list of 11 factors —  including NCAA sponsorship, postgraduate participation, fan interest, savings, impact on diversity and history contributed — to the eventual decision to cancel those programs.

Muir said in the press conference that the alternative to cutting certain sports was a “broad and deep reduction in support for all 36 sports, including eliminating scholarships, ceasing to be competitive in our efforts to attract and retain the very best coaches and staff.” This path was simply not followed, he continued, as it “would be antithetical to Stanford’s values and its determination to be excellent in everything that it does.”

Muir stressed the desire to maintain the remaining 25 sports at the highest level. In talks with President Marc Tessier-Lavigne and Provost Persis Drell — both of whom co-signed the letter sent out to the community today — and the Board of Trustees, it was clear to Muir that athletics would be important to this campus moving forward, “making sure that we’re fiscally responsible and sustainable.” 

To stress the existing financial strain, Muir shared past stories in which coaches requested “legitimate things” that the department was forced to say “no” to. Cost-saving measures have included a voluntary pay cut taken by head coach of the football team David Shaw ’94, head coach of the women’s basketball team Tara VanDerveer and Jerod Haase, her counterpart on the men’s side. The department has also reduced sport and administrative operating budgets “to the greatest extent possible” and asked teams to limit their travel plans for the upcoming academic year.

The football team, however, is scheduled to travel to Notre Dame in Indiana and men’s basketball has a trip to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational during the 2020-21 season — assuming COVID-19 restrictions will not pose an impediment.

Prior to the announcement, Stanford had the most NCAA Division I offerings of any FBS school outside of Ohio State, which Muir estimates operates on twice the budget. After years of “punching above our weight,” he said it was time to scale down. Among other factors, Ohio State is generating more in TV revenue, where the Pac-12 conference is notably lackluster, and the Buckeyes have more seats in their football stadium.

At the end of the Zoom call with the media, Muir said that he has had weekly calls at the conference level about the upcoming season. He expects a decision to be made by the end of the month.

Contact Daniel Martinez-Krams at danielmk ‘at’ stanford.edu.

Corrections: The equivalent scholarship numbers were not added correctly. The number is 35.4, not 56 as stated in the original article. The article was also updated to reflect the fact that scholarship limits apply to a maximum, but that not all programs had been able to support this number.

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Stanford to discontinue 11 varsity sports https://stanforddaily.com/2020/07/08/sports-cancellations/ https://stanforddaily.com/2020/07/08/sports-cancellations/#respond Wed, 08 Jul 2020 18:12:05 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1169951 A joint statement released today by University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Provost Persis Drell and Director of Athletics Bernard Muir announced that Stanford will discontinue 11 of its 36 varsity sports upon the completion of the 2020-21 academic year. After that, the the affected sports will have the opportunity to transition to club status.

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A joint statement released today by University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Provost Persis Drell and Director of Athletics Bernard Muir announced that Stanford will discontinue 11 of its 36 varsity sports upon the completion of the 2020-21 academic year. After that, the the affected sports will have the opportunity to transition to club status.

The sports to be cancelled are men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling.

The teams facing cancellation will be allowed to compete one final year, should the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic allow for the upcoming 2020-21 season. 

Stanford formerly boasted more Division I collegiate sports offered than any other university; the average Division I athletics program sponsors 18 varsity sports.

Teams were notified of the upcoming cancellation via Zoom and were given little prior notice of the restructuring.

“I am just so shocked,” one men’s volleyball player said. “I did not think 2020 could get this bad. My whole life plan has been turned upside down, and I no longer know what I am doing.”

The 11 affected teams have brought the university 20 national championships and 27 olympic medals since their respective inaugurations. Lightweight rowing brought home national honors most recently and has won the IRA championship for the last five consecutive years (2015-19).

“I’m overall just confused and taken back that this is their final decision,” a current synchronized swimmer said. “I definitely didn’t see something of this magnitude coming.”

Currently, more than 240 student athletes and 22 coaches are a part of these sports on the Farm — in addition to committed high school athletes, who may now reevaluate their collegiate plans.

Current athletes will not lose any existing athletic scholarships should they choose to remain at Stanford to complete their undergraduate education, but presumably no future scholarships will be given. The contracts of affected coaches will be honored, and any support staff whose employment is ending will be provided with severance pay.

“I think I’m mainly just disappointed,” a current men’s fencer said. “I had high hopes for the next three years.”

Greatly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this decision was largely due to financial strain placed on the university from the cost of maintaining so many teams. 

The statement cited a variety of reasons as to why the university chose these specific sports. These factors included sponsorship at the NCAA Division I level, national youth and postgraduate participation and local and national popularity, among others.

Questions remain if potential donations may save the future of these sports.

Many of the cancelled sports were unable to begin or complete their 2020 seasons due to COVID-19 cancellations. Spring athletes were given an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA to ameliorate the disruption, and it is now likely that many Stanford athletes will transfer to another school that does offer the given sport on the varsity level. 

“We hope they choose to remain on The Farm and earn their Stanford degrees,” the university wrote in its statement.

But for many, the decision is not that easy. One player discussed the dilemma of deciding between a Stanford degree and playing his Division I sport.

“I guess I am going to have to figure out as life goes on,” he said. “But in the meantime, I am truly heartbroken.”

Contact Jeremy Rubin at jjmrubin ‘at’ stanford.edu and Cybele Zhang at cybelez ‘at’ staford.edu.

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Lightweight rowing cruises at Head of the American regatta on Lake Natoma https://stanforddaily.com/2019/10/27/lightweight-rowing-cruises-at-head-of-the-american-regatta-on-lake-natoma/ https://stanforddaily.com/2019/10/27/lightweight-rowing-cruises-at-head-of-the-american-regatta-on-lake-natoma/#respond Mon, 28 Oct 2019 05:15:26 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1159322 After seizing top-five finishes across the board at the Head of the Charles regatta last weekend in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Stanford women’s lightweight rowing fought against harsh competition and fatigue to remain strong at the Head of the American regatta on a balmy Folsom Saturday afternoon. With this regatta, the team concludes the head-race-oriented fall season with both of the Varsity Eights finishing in the top eight of 21 crews and the Four at 12th place.

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After seizing top-five finishes across the board at the Head of the Charles regatta last weekend in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Stanford women’s lightweight rowing fought against harsh competition and fatigue to remain strong at the Head of the American regatta on a balmy Folsom Saturday afternoon. With this regatta, the team concludes the head-race-oriented fall season with both of the Varsity Eights finishing in the top eight of 21 crews and the Four at 12th place. 

The head race competition is especially brutal, both mentally and physically. Compared to sprint races in the spring, a head race is much longer and requires a steady and contained synchronized power from all participants. With boats starting usually 20 to 25 seconds apart from one another, the race can be solitary at times without constantly having another boat within one’s periphery. The head race, with twists and turns as the race course meanders, places a peculiar emphasis on the coxswain’s steering technique and an unparalleled amount of trust among teammates. The Head of the American, a race of 5 kilometers, is one such ordeal. 

With junior Kira Jan at the coxswain seat and junior Claire Smythe at stroke, the first Varsity Eight took fourth place overall with the time of 17:29.0. Despite having to adjust their starting position a couple of times and a rather choppy start, the crew quickly regained control and steadied their rhythm after the first 200 meters. The crew, edging out the fifth-place Cal B team with a margin of two seconds, was only ten seconds shy from becoming a top-3 finisher. Also worth mentioning is that despite a new lineup comprising of rowers from both the Eight and the Four from the regatta in Cambridge, the boat powered through as a collective. 

The second Stanford Eight finished eighth with a time of 17:46.3, roughly 15 seconds from the first boat, topping both California’s C and D teams. Especially praiseworthy was their sprint to the finish line, where they placed themselves in an advantageous position from Cal B and increased their lead with clean and crisp strokes at a higher rate. The Women’s Collegiate 8+ event — which featured powerhouses such as Stanford, Cal, Washington, and San Diego State — was especially competitive, with top ten finishers crammed within a one-minute range. 

The Cardinal 4+ entered the competition an hour later and snatched a 12th place finish, clocking 22:19.1. Led by coxswain Nicola Buskirk, the team was comprised of sophomore stroke Clara Everett, sophomore middle pair Kendall Titus and Mary Cooper and junior bow Krithi Reddy. Despite racing together for the first time, the young Cardinal rowers persisted and pushed their way through the last buoy. Washington State, San Diego State and Oregon State claimed top three in this event. 

Comprehensive Lineup for the Eights:

1st 8+: C – Kira Jan/ 8 – Claire Smythe/ 7 – Emily Molins/ 6 – Isabella Duan/ 5 – Brigitte Schmittlein/ 4 – Hillary Umphery/ 3 – Micah Trautwein/ 2 – Maddie Lloyd/ 1 – Anne Ryschon

2nd 8+: C – Jennifer Vu/ 8 – Lindsey Rust/ 7 – Martha Yates/ 6 – Michele Holtkamp/ 5 – Noa Bregman/ 4 – Kelly Niethammer/ 3 – Tiffany Lee/ 2 – Lauren Howe/ 1 – Reagan Damoose

The women thus concluded the fall portion of the rowing calendar, tallying top-five finishes from top boats at regattas from opposite coasts of the nation. After a fall season of hard work, the team will temporarily leave the water for some well-deserved respite from competition. They will soon enter their winter on-land training to bounce back strong to attack for IRA champs in the spring. 

Contact Ruiping (Robin) Zhang at rzhang23@stanford.edu.

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Women’s lightweight rowing secures fifth-straight IRA championship https://stanforddaily.com/2019/06/02/womens-lightweight-rowing-secures-fifth-straight-ira-championship/ https://stanforddaily.com/2019/06/02/womens-lightweight-rowing-secures-fifth-straight-ira-championship/#respond Mon, 03 Jun 2019 00:03:37 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1155821 As California’s Golden State Warriors pursue their third NBA championship in a row, an even longer streak was preserved at Gold River, CA, where Stanford women’s lightweight rowing won its fifth-straight Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) team championship on Sunday.

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As California’s Golden State Warriors pursue their third NBA championship in a row, an even longer streak was preserved at Gold River, CA, where Stanford women’s lightweight rowing won its fifth-straight Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) team championship on Sunday.

Though victory was sealed on Sunday, the Cardinal were dominant all weekend, as the Varsity Eight and Varsity Four teams finished first in Saturday’s heat races for Sunday’s lane positioning.

After a fifth-place finish in Sunday’s Double Grand Final, Stanford made use of its hard-earned lanes by winning both the Varsity Eight and Varsity Four Grand Finals.

The Varsity Four came in at 7:12.848, finishing well ahead of runner-up Boston University (7:19.504) and third-place Wisconsin (7:25.798). The Varsity Eight Grand Final was closer, but Stanford clinched its IRA team victory with a time of 6:32.825, topping runner-up Princeton (6:37.335) and third-place Boston University (6:40.462).

There is much talk of three-peats in the world of sports — and with Sunday’s triumph — Cardinal head coach Kate Bertko has joined the ranks of Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter by solidifying a three-peat of her own. Bertko has met unprecedented success as head coach, notching team championships in each of her first three seasons at the helm of the program.

Not to mention, Stanford now has nine total IRA national team championships, more than any other school in history. The closest competitor, Wisconsin, has just four.

The Daily has reached out to women’s lightweight rowing for comment.

Contact Holden Foreman at hs4man21 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Sailing heads to SoCal for PCCSC Championship, rowing teams prepare for separate events https://stanforddaily.com/2019/04/05/sailing-heads-to-socal-for-pccsc-championship-rowing-teams-prepare-for-separate-events/ https://stanforddaily.com/2019/04/05/sailing-heads-to-socal-for-pccsc-championship-rowing-teams-prepare-for-separate-events/#respond Fri, 05 Apr 2019 07:10:01 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1151943 After a first-place showing at the St. Francis Invitational, sailing is gearing up for the Pacific Coast Collegiate Sailing Conference (PCCSC) Team Race Championship in San Diego. Women’s rowing will join sailing in SoCal for the San Diego Crew Classic, while the men’s team will stay close to home, hosting the Pac-12 Challenge at Redwood Shores.

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After a first-place showing at the St. Francis Invitational, sailing is gearing up for the Pacific Coast Collegiate Sailing Conference (PCCSC) Team Race Championship in San Diego. Women’s rowing will join sailing in SoCal for the San Diego Crew Classic, while the men’s team will stay close to home, hosting the Pac-12 Challenge at Redwood Shores.

In 14 races since the start of the spring season on March 9, No. 3 women’s rowing boasts an undefeated record against collegiate foes, and the team looks to keep up that pace this weekend. It will not be a row in the park, as the Cardinal will face a competitive field including the No. 1 Washington Huskies, No. 2 Cal Bear and No. 4 Texas Longhorns.

Men’s rowing, on the other hand, is just getting started, with races against Northeastern and Washington on Saturday, before facing Oregon State on Sunday. The Cardinal will look to settle in on home turf, or surf, this weekend, as the next two men’s rowing competitions — the Stanford Invitational from April 13-14 and a duel against Cal on April 27 — will also take place at Redwood Shores.

At the PCCSC Championship, sailing will face a cast of familiar crews, including the University of Hawaii Rainbows, California Maritime Academy (CMA) Keelhaulers, University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) Gauchos, University of Southern California (USC) Trojans, Cal Poly University S.L.O. Mustangs and University of California at Berkeley Bears.

After close wins over both UCSB and CMA in recent weeks, watch for the Cardinal to stay on guard against a relatively small field at the Championship.

Contact Holden Foreman at hs4man21 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Home successes for women’s rowing https://stanforddaily.com/2018/04/03/home-successes-for-womens-rowing/ https://stanforddaily.com/2018/04/03/home-successes-for-womens-rowing/#respond Tue, 03 Apr 2018 08:38:31 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1138605 Over the weekend, Stanford’s No. 1 ranked women’s lightweight rowing team and No. 10 ranked women’s rowing team hosted regattas at Redwood Shores, as they continued their 2018 campaigns. Both teams found success in their matchups, taking several key wins against ranked opponents.

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Over the weekend, Stanford’s No. 1 ranked women’s lightweight rowing team and No. 10 ranked women’s rowing team hosted regattas at Redwood Shores, as they continued their 2018 campaigns. Both teams found success in their matchups, taking several key wins against ranked opponents.

The lightweight team hosted their first dual meet of the season, facing off against No. 3 ranked Princeton in a contest of top seeds. Racing on their home course, the Cardinal boats took two out of three total races against the Tigers.

The day started with the Cardinal’s top ranked varsity eight boat delivering a convincing defeat to Princeton’s eight, taking the course in 6:30.96 to the Tigers’ 6:43.79. The women’s lightweight four boat also claimed victory, winning with a time of 7:23.22, nearly 20 seconds ahead of Princeton’s 7:41.92. The Tigers claimed a single victory in the double, narrowly taking down the Cardinal boat with a time of 7:41.15 to Stanford’s 7:48.12.

Meanwhile, on Saturday afternoon and Sunday, the women’s rowing team hosted the annual Pac-12 Challenge, welcoming Louisville, No. 18 Michigan State, No. 17 Iowa, No. 12 USC and No. 2 Cal to Redwood Shores.

On Saturday, the Stanford women dominated the field, winning six of seven races on the day. Three of those wins came against Louisville, as the Cardinal claimed all three head-to-head races against the Cardinal. They won the first varsity eight with a time of 6:23.61, the second varsity eight with a time of 6:31.70 (winning the race by 25 seconds) and the varsity four with a time of 7:15.87.

The Cardinal also raced in a series of head-to-head matches against Iowa, taking down the Hawkeyes in all three races. The first varsity eight improved upon their earlier time, posting a 6:15.8, defeating the Hawkeye boat coming in at 6:22.2. The second varsity eight and the varsity four also showed improvement in their second races, posting times of 6:28.9 and 7:21.9 respectively.

The only loss of the day came at the hands of the Golden Bears, as Stanford’s second varsity four boat fell to Cal, which posted an incredible 7:06.58 to the Cardinal’s 7:28.77.

The action continued on Sunday when the Cardinal concluded the regatta with another series of three head-to-head races against Michigan State. The Stanford women took down the Spartans in all three races to end the weekend on a high note, with times of 6:23.1, 6:37.6, and 7:23.9 for the first varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four, respectively.

The women’s lightweight team returns to action on April 7, when they travel to Boston for a dual meet against BU, while the women’s rowing team will row again on April 14-15 at the Lake Natoma Invitational in Gold River.

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Women’s lightweight rowing claims three-peat at IRA National Championships https://stanforddaily.com/2017/06/07/womens-lightweight-rowing-claims-three-peat-at-ira-national-championships/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/06/07/womens-lightweight-rowing-claims-three-peat-at-ira-national-championships/#respond Wed, 07 Jun 2017 18:57:26 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1128973 In the IRA National Championship Regatta at Lake Natoma, California, over the weekend, the Stanford women’s lightweight rowing team swept all three grand finals—varsity eight, four and doubles—to claim its third consecutive team title, this time under the helm of first-year head coach Kate Bertko.

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In the IRA National Championship Regatta at Lake Natoma, California, over the weekend, the Stanford women’s lightweight rowing team swept all three grand finals — varsity eight, four and doubles — to claim its third consecutive team title, this time under the helm of first-year head coach Kate Bertko.

The lightweight team did not lose a single race, both in Saturday’s preliminary heat qualifiers and Sunday’s title-deciding Grand Finals, marching to total team dominance over competitors such as Princeton, Wisconsin and Boston University.

The team title marks the sixth in program history and fifth for Stanford this year, the most for the university in a single year since 1997-98. The national title streak for the lightweight team, however, is still only the second longest in program history as the team won four straight from 2010 to 2013. Stanford is now tied with Wisconsin for the most women’s lightweight rowing national championships.

“It [Stanford athletics] is a dream place to work. There’s so much success and people really striving to be excellent that it’s inspiring,” Bertko told the Daily about contributing to the championship tally. “Coming off being an athlete myself, it’s such a great environment to work. People were inspired by the teammates racing, and the team itself felt inspired as a result, and we as a whole feed off an environment that pushes you to strive to being your best.”

The lightweight varsity eight raced first over the weekend, winning its heat by open water (6:30:800) after claiming the lead within the first 700 meters and maintaining its advantage for the victory. The Cardinal finished with a five-second gap over second-place Princeton (6:35:597) and set the tone immediately for Stanford.

Following the varsity eight heats, the varsity four team also cruised to victory in open water (7:13:484) by separating from the pack at the 500-meter mark and ultimately beating second-place Wisconsin by a five-second margin (7:18:149).

As the last team to finish their heats, the lightweight doubles, on the other hand, had to battle with Wisconsin early in the race before taking an open-water lead over the rest of the field by the halfway point in the race. The doubles would finish with the largest Cardinal victory (7:35:032) of the heat stages, holding an eight-second advantage over the trailing Badgers (7:43:103).

Stanford’s successful performances in the opening round only continued into the Grand Finals on Sunday as the Cardinal once again displayed all-out dominance to take home the national title.

Sunday started with the doubles championship race at 8:00 a.m., yet the Grand Final brought no surprises as every team placed in the same exact order as the heat qualifiers. The Cardinal, however, did remain dominant over the field, besting their previous score of 7:35:032 by a little less than a second, finishing the race at 7:34:700 to claim their title.

The women’s lightweight four were next to race and once again bested the Wisconsin Badgers, this time with a seven-second gap (Stanford 7:20:916, Wisconsin 7:27:638) that continued to expand in the final lengths, claiming the second national title of the day for the Cardinal.

Finally, in the last women’s race of the regatta, Stanford once again dominated their opponents en route to another national title that ultimately clinched the third straight team title for the program. The Cardinal battled early before grabbing and extending an open-water lead in the dying moments of the race, finishing with an even better result than in the heat qualifier at 6:25:396 and a five-second difference over second place Boston University.

When asked about how the women performed so dominantly over the regatta, Bertko stated, “I think it’s a pretty simple and sort of boring answer. The team practiced consistency, effort, and attention to detail all year long; this know what it means to be successful and hold yourself accountable to high standards. They’ve shown me that teamwork and valuing your teammates is the most important thing at the end of the day. It truly is like a family.”

The Stanford men also competed during last weekend’s regatta yet did not find similar dominant success like the women’s lightweight team. The first, second and third varsity eights competed for the Cardinal with all three teams missing spots in the A/B semifinal with the first varsity eight missing the semifinal by one spot.

In the C/D semifinals, all three boats placed in the top three in their respective races and earned spots in the third-level final on Sunday. The semifinal competition was highlighted by the second varsity eight narrowly edging a victory over Navy by a two-second gap (Stanford 5:54:870, Navy 5:56:851).

Sunday’s action in the third final once again saw the Cardinal struggle as both the second and third varsity eight failed to place in the finals, earning fifth and fourth respectively with times of 5:56:566 and 6:02:806. The first varsity eight, however, finished second after losing a tough race against George Washington University by a three-second margin.

“It has been really great getting to know each of the women on this team throughout the year and having an opportunity to celebrate a national championship with them is awesome,” Bertko said. “These women have worked so hard all season. It was special to see them be rewarded with today’s performances. I appreciate all the support Stanford and each of the coaches have given me throughout the year. I am so happy for these women and this program.”
Contact Lorenzo Rosas at enzor9 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Men’s rowing, lightweight women head to IRAs https://stanforddaily.com/2017/06/01/rowing-enters-into-national-championship-searching-for-titles/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/06/01/rowing-enters-into-national-championship-searching-for-titles/#respond Fri, 02 Jun 2017 06:34:30 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1128796 Both Stanford men’s and lightweight women’s rowing will head up to Lake Natoma, California, just north of Sacramento, to take part in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships this upcoming weekend. The No. 10 men will field the first, second and third varsity eight while the No. 1 women’s lightweight rowing program searches for their third […]

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Both Stanford men’s and lightweight women’s rowing will head up to Lake Natoma, California, just north of Sacramento, to take part in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships this upcoming weekend. The No. 10 men will field the first, second and third varsity eight while the No. 1 women’s lightweight rowing program searches for their third consecutive national title.

The first-seed lightweight women’s team has remained No. 1 overall all season under first-year head coach Kate Bertko. The Cardinal women will have the varsity eight, four and doubles compete over the weekend, and each team will open by competing in the first of two heats to qualify for the final race.

The doubles will start up Saturday’s second day of tournament competition as well as the Stanford women’s weekend series by racing against Princeton, Boston, Wisconsin, Harvard and MIT at 8:30 a.m.

Immediately following the doubles heat, the Cardinal lightweight varsity eight will take to the water to compete against Princeton, Wisconsin and Georgetown in the first of two qualifying heats at 8:40 a.m. Subsequently, after the second varsity eight heat, Stanford lightweight varsity four will race against Boston and Tulsa at 9 a.m.

Last year at Lake Mercer, New Jersey, the lightweight eight team propelled Stanford to the team title by winning their Grand Final, while the lightweight four and doubles team placed third in their respective final races.

The men’s rowing team also will travel to Lake Natoma to participate in the IRA Championships as part of 24 total universities to participate. However, while 24 crews will vie for the first and second varsity eight titles, only 20 teams will also field a third varsity eight squad.

Stanford also is one of four Pac-12 universities to qualify for the national tournament, showing the immense depth in the conference this season.

The Cardinal first varsity eight will commence the weekend action on Friday as the team will compete in the fourth and final qualifying heat of the day at 9 a.m. against Wisconsin, Princeton, Harvard, Drexel and St. Joseph’s. Following the conclusion of the lightweight action, the second varsity eight will compete at 9:40 a.m. in the second qualifying heat and will square off against California, Northeastern, Cornell, Pennsylvania and Santa Clara.

Last year saw some success for the Cardinal men’s team who had the first varsity eight and varsity four — who aren’t competing in this weekend’s tournament — earn second in both of their respective final races to power Stanford to eighth in the team tournament. In addition, the Cardinal earned the Clayton W. Chapman Trophy, which recognizes the most improved team in the national regatta.

Despite the early start times, updates of the Cardinal action can be found by following Stanford rowing on Twitter at @Stanfordmrowing and @Stanfordwrowing and on gostanford.com.

 

Contact Lorenzo Rosas at enzor9 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Women’s lightweight rowing takes victory against Princeton https://stanforddaily.com/2017/05/07/womens-lightweight-rowing-takes-victory-against-princeton/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/05/07/womens-lightweight-rowing-takes-victory-against-princeton/#respond Mon, 08 May 2017 06:15:33 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1127145 In its final regatta of the regular season and a rare dual race against the No. 4 Princeton Tigers, No. 1 Stanford women’s lightweight rowing raced to a win on Saturday in New Jersey, taking the top positions in the varsity eight and varsity four events. With the varsity eight win, the Cardinal claimed the […]

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In its final regatta of the regular season and a rare dual race against the No. 4 Princeton Tigers, No. 1 Stanford women’s lightweight rowing raced to a win on Saturday in New Jersey, taking the top positions in the varsity eight and varsity four events. With the varsity eight win, the Cardinal claimed the Class of 2015 Cup.

Stanford’s varsity eight squad won by open water against the Tigers, clocking in at 6:13.8. Princeton finished in 6:22.6. The team performed well in a final regular season tune-up before the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships next weekend. Stanford also showed its prowess under lightweight rowing head coach Kate Bertko, who rowed as a Princeton Tiger in her collegiate career, winning the varsity eight NCAA Championship in 2006.

The schools also each fielded two varsity four boats in the other race. Stanford once again lead the pack of four boats, placing first and second with times of 7:17.2 and 7:26.4, respectively. Princeton finished third (7:28.1) and fourth (7:41.5).

Stanford will compete again next Saturday at Lake Natoma near Sacramento, California in the Pacific Coast Rowing Championship.

 

Contact Laura Anderson at lauraand ‘at’ stanford.edu.

 

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Women’s rowing teams glide to cross-country success https://stanforddaily.com/2017/04/10/womens-rowing-teams-glide-to-cross-country-success/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/04/10/womens-rowing-teams-glide-to-cross-country-success/#respond Tue, 11 Apr 2017 06:22:15 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1125619 Over the weekend both women's rowing teams continued their seasons with regattas on opposite sides of the country. The women’s rowing team rowed in the Lake Natoma Invitational in Sacramento, while the lightweight team traveled to New Jersey for the annual Knecht Cup. Both teams emerged with several victories after two full days of races.

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Over the weekend, both women’s rowing teams continued their seasons with regattas on opposite sides of the country. The women’s rowing team rowed in the Lake Natoma Invitational in Sacramento, while the lightweight team traveled to New Jersey for the annual Knecht Cup. After two full days of races, both teams emerged with several victories.

The No. 6 ranked Stanford women’s rowing ran up against difficult competition at Lake Natoma, facing off against top schools from around the country, including Notre Dame, Gonzaga, Clemson, Brown, and Cal. The Cardinal had three total NCAA boats competing in the weekend’s activities: their first and second varsity eights, and their varsity four.

The Saturday morning session of races began with the Cardinal boats squaring off against Gonzaga and Clemson. All three boats placed first in their morning races with the first varsity eight finishing in 6:19.62, the second varsity eight finishing in 6:29.30, and the varsity four recording a time of 7:08.11.

Saturday afternoon, the Stanford women raced against Notre Dame and Sacramento state. Once again, the Cardinal boats came away with a clean sweep of the races. The first varsity eight improved their earlier time, finishing in 6:17.67, as did the second varsity eight, completing the course in 6:24.12. The varsity four won their race at a slightly slower pace than earlier, finishing with a 7:11.56.

The final races came on Sunday, as the Cardinal squared off against No. 2 ranked Cal and No. 9 ranked Brown. The first varsity eight placed second in their race, finishing just five seconds after Cal with a time of 6:23.61. The second varsity eight and the varsity four fell short in their races, both taking third place finishes with times of 6:31.24 and 7:12.40 respectively.

Meanwhile in New Jersey, the women’s lightweight team posted three Grand Final victories as well as a third place finish in their appearance at the Knecht Cup. Having won the lightweight eight grand final last year, the team was looking to defend their crown and show off their prowess in its lone East Coast trip this year. They did just that, as the Cardinal women won the lightweight eight title over Boston University and Princeton with a time of 6:44.26.

The women’s lightweight cleaned house in the openweight and lightweight four races as well. The lightweight four took down Tulsa and North Carolina competing in the openweight final with a time of 7:38.32, and then beat Radcliffe by almost 10 seconds in the lightweight final with a time of 7:35.76. In the openweight eight grand finals, the Stanford boat fell to Boston University and Miami, finishing just four seconds after the first-place Miami team with a time of 6:47.36. The weekend proved to be a successful road trip for the lightweight team and new coach Kate Bertko.

Both teams return to the water on April 29th, at slightly different venues. The women’s rowing team will compete against Cal in the Big Row at Redwood Shores, while the lightweight team will head to the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships at Lake Natoma.

 

Contact Bobby Pragada at bpragada ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Video: The life of a Stanford rower https://stanforddaily.com/2016/11/28/video-the-life-of-a-stanford-rower/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/11/28/video-the-life-of-a-stanford-rower/#respond Mon, 28 Nov 2016 14:27:05 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1120402 The Stanford women's lightweight rowing team meets at the Morrison Boathouse in Redwood City every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 6 A.M. to practice. (TIFFANY ONG/The Stanford Daily)

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Stanford Olympians bring home a record 27 medals https://stanforddaily.com/2016/08/22/stanford-olympians-bring-home-a-record-27-medals/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/08/22/stanford-olympians-bring-home-a-record-27-medals/#respond Mon, 22 Aug 2016 12:00:56 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1116735 The 2016 Summer Olympics officially came to a close on Sunday, and with it, 39 past, present and incoming Stanford athletes will return from Rio de Janeiro after having represented 10 countries in the games. Sixteen Stanford athletes earned a school-record 27 medals across 20 Olympic events, ranging from swimming relays to the pole vault. […]

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The 2016 Summer Olympics officially came to a close on Sunday, and with it, 39 past, present and incoming Stanford athletes will return from Rio de Janeiro after having represented 10 countries in the games. Sixteen Stanford athletes earned a school-record 27 medals across 20 Olympic events, ranging from swimming relays to the pole vault.

Women’s swimming:

Stanford’s contingent in women’s swimming dominated the Rio Games. Incoming freshman Katie Ledecky captured national attention as she became the second woman ever to sweep the 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyle events in the same Olympics. After anchoring the silver-medal earning 400-meter freestyle relay team — which also boasted Stanford teammates junior Simone Manuel and senior Lia Neal — Ledecky’s first individual medal came in her record-breaking 400 free. She followed that up with a victory in the 200 free and then another gold and world record in the 800 free, in which she jumped out to a huge lead and beat the silver medalist by 11 seconds. Ledecky’s quintet of medals, a record for a Stanford affiliate in the Olympics, also included a gold in the 800 free relay.

Ledecky wasn’t the only Cardinal swimmer to make headlines. Participating in her first and only Olympics, Maya DiRado ’14 came away from Rio with four medals, including three individual medals. DiRado’s first gold came from the 800 free relay, but her other gold, in the 200 meter backstroke, came with extra meaning: She earned it in what will likely be the final race of her career, beating the favorite, Katinka Hosszu from Hungary, by six hundredths of a second. Her other two medals came from the 400-meter IM (silver) and 200-meter IM (bronze).

After helping Team USA win the 400 medley relay, Simone Manuel made history when she became the first African American to receive an individual medal in swimming with her first-place finish in the 100-meter free. She capped off her Olympic moment with two silvers in the 50-meter free and the 400 free relay.

Women’s water polo:

Coming off of a gold medal win in the London Olympics, people had high expectations for the U.S. women’s water polo team going into Rio — expectations that the squad met if not surpassed. Across their fives games of competition, the women outscored opponents by a 73-31 margin, including a 12-5 onslaught against Italy in the gold medal match.

Captain Maggie Steffens ‘17 led all scorers in the tournament, totalling 17 goals, and was named MVP for the second Olympics in a row. Kiley Neushul ‘15 added 10 goals, including three in the final, while incoming freshman Makenzie Fischer scored seven and Melissa Seidemann ‘13 notched three. The quartet was responsible for 50 percent of Team USA’s goals during the tournament.

Volleyball:

One of the most celebrated Olympians of our time and the most decorated beach volleyball player ever, Kerri Walsh Jennings ‘00 paired up with April Ross for the Rio Games after the retirement of Walsh Jennings’s former partner, Misty May Treanor. Walsh Jennings, a three-time gold medalist, lost the first Olympic match of her career in the semifinals against Brazil’s second-seeded pair, but she and Ross bounced back to secure a bronze medal. The bronze marked Walsh Jenning’s fourth consecutive Olympic medal.

On the indoor volleyball court, Foluke Akinradewo ‘09 helped lead Team USA to its third consecutive medaling in volleyball, as the team won bronze after finishing 7-1 in the tournament. It was the second Olympics for Akinradewo, a middle blocker, who, after suffering from an injury during the semifinals, returned for the bronze-medal match and contributed 13 kills, 2 blocks and an ace.

Brothers Erik and Kawika Shoji (‘12 and ‘10, respectively) were part of the U.S.’s medal-earning squad that came back from a 0-2 set deficit against Russia to win bronze, only the second time the U.S. men have medaled since 1992. Erik started the entire tournament as the team’s libero.

Fencing:

No American fencer had medaled in Olympics for 32 years prior to Rio. And for foil, it had been even longer (56 years). But Alex Massialas ‘16 made sure to change that. After advancing to the finals with a 15-9 semifinal victory over Great Britain’s Richard Kruse, Massialas fell to Italy’s Daniele Garozzo, 15-11. But his defeat in the finals still earned him a historic silver medal. The success kept on coming for the two-time Olympian; he was also part of the U.S. trio who won bronze in team foil, the first time the U.S. had won a medal in the event in 84 years.

Rowing:

Elle Logan ‘11 rowed in the seven seat on her way towards helping Team USA’s women’s eight win the eight A Final. With the team’s first-place finish, Logan became the first female rower to win three Olympic golds. The U.S. women’s eight has been utterly dominant, in fact unbeatable, over the last 10 years, with Logan being part of the senior team since 2008.

Track and field:

Katerina Stefanidi ‘12 beat out Team USA’s Sandi Morris in the pole vault after clearing 4.85 meters. Her victory made her the first Cardinal woman to win an Olympic track and field event in Stanford history. She was also the only Cardinal to medal for a country other than America, as she represented Greece during the games. She earned Greece’s first medal in track and field since the country hosted the Games in 2004.

Equestrian:

While equestrian is not a varsity sport at Stanford, the school can now say it is home to an Olympic medalist in the sport: Lucy Davis ‘15. Davis and her three teammates earned the U.S. a silver medal in team show jumping, sandwiched by gold-medalist France and bronze-medalist Canada. Davis and her horse, Barron, performed particularly well leading up to the final round, earning zero penalty points.

 

Contact Alexa Philippou at aphil723 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Lightweight rowing wins national title, women and men finish top 10 https://stanforddaily.com/2015/06/02/lightweight-rowing-wins-national-title-women-and-men-finish-top-10/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/06/02/lightweight-rowing-wins-national-title-women-and-men-finish-top-10/#respond Wed, 03 Jun 2015 06:23:26 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1101828 The No. 1 lightweight rowing team won the program’s fifth IRA national title in six years over the weekend, with victories in both the varsity eight and varsity four Grand Finals. The varsity eight got revenge over rival Harvard-Radcliffe with its three-second victory — last year, Harvard-Radcliffe overcame the Cardinal by 0.5 seconds at the finish […]

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The No. 1 lightweight rowing team won the program’s fifth IRA national title in six years over the weekend, with victories in both the varsity eight and varsity four Grand Finals. The varsity eight got revenge over rival Harvard-Radcliffe with its three-second victory — last year, Harvard-Radcliffe overcame the Cardinal by 0.5 seconds at the finish line to snap the team’s four-year title streak.

“We knew how well we could do coming into the weekend,” said first-year head coach Derek Byrnes. “Seeing this good, hardworking group race within themselves and stay confident and composed, I don’t know how to put it. It was awesome.”

The championship race was never in doubt, as the Cardinal took a two-seat lead on Harvard early and opened up a 6-7 seat margin by the 750-meter mark. Princeton and Harvard gained about two seats in the final 750-meter push, but Stanford rowed with the same smooth intensity it had displayed all season and crossed the finish line a near-boat length ahead of the next boat. 

Stanford is the first school ever to sweep the lightweight women’s varsity eight and varsity four events at the IRAs, and the win in the varsity four is the first in program history. The varsity eight boat did not lose a race this season, finishing with a perfect 11-0 record.

“It is surreal,” said senior Mackenzie Crist, one of four seniors to have won three national titles in their four years on the Farm. “It was so exciting and a testament to all the hard work we have put in this year. It was exciting not just to win our race, but to see the four win and have it be a complete team national championship. There is nobody else I would ever want to row with. It has been a pleasure and honor to row with my teammates the last four years.”

The varsity four, which beat runner-up Wisconsin by four seconds, had only raced one time prior to the IRA National Championships, placing fourth at the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships two weeks previously.

“The four hasn’t raced much,” Byrnes said. “They were composed and never pressed, rowing their race right from the gate.”

The lightweight rowing team becomes the third Stanford team to win a national championship this season, joining women’s water polo and women’s golf.

***

Women’s rowing finished sixth at the NCAA Championships, one spot higher than its ranking to end the season.

The last day of racing saw the varsity eight compete in the Grand Final, placing fifth, and the varsity four and 2V8 in the Petite Final, finishing first and third, respectively. The Cardinal ended the season with their best racing of the year. It was also a great showing for the Pac-12, with three boats in the varsity eight Grand Final — two more than from any other conference.    

“At the NCAAs you know you have to bring your best,” said head coach Yasmin Farooq. “I am really proud of the work our team did in the week leading up to the championship and also the improvements they made from the heat to the semifinal to the final.”

***

The Stanford men’s rowing varsity four got on the podium at the IRA National Championships, capturing the bronze medal. The boat had won both the heat and semifinal race prior to the Grand Final, but storied programs Washington and Cal overcame the Cardinal in the final 250 meters. 

The third-place finish marks the third time in Stanford history the team has medaled in the varsity four event at the IRA National Championships. Stanford has also placed in the top 20 of the varsity eight every year since 1999 (as far back as the records go).

“Our varsity eight just never found rhythm or speed,” said head coach Craig Amerkhanian. “It was a rough regatta for those guys, but we are young and the future is bright looking at what our four was able to do this weekend.”

Contact Ashley Westhem at awesthem ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Trio of rowing programs gears up for national tournaments https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/26/trio-of-rowing-programs-gears-up-for-national-tournaments/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/26/trio-of-rowing-programs-gears-up-for-national-tournaments/#respond Wed, 27 May 2015 05:50:55 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1101530 Members of the three Stanford rowing teams, like many Stanford students, left campus at the start of the Memorial Day weekend. However, they didn’t return in time for Tuesday classes, and instead remained at their respective training sites to prepare for and compete at nationals — they will come back to the Farm just in […]

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Members of the three Stanford rowing teams, like many Stanford students, left campus at the start of the Memorial Day weekend. However, they didn’t return in time for Tuesday classes, and instead remained at their respective training sites to prepare for and compete at nationals — they will come back to the Farm just in time for finals.

***

The women’s rowing team arrived at its “secret location” and began practice for the NCAA Championships on Sunday. The No. 6 Cardinal received an at-large bid to compete, making this the seventh straight year Stanford has qualified for the championships and 10th time overall. The varsity eight boat, the Cardinal’s top boat, after earning the silver medal at the Pac-12 Championships a week and a half ago, received the No. 3 seed overall.

“We’re glad to be going back to Lake Natoma,” said head coach Yasmin Farooq. “We’ve seen a lot of these teams throughout the season, but we all start with a clean slate next Friday. We’re looking forward to showing what we can do over the three-day Championship weekend.”

Last season, the women finished fourth overall in Indianapolis, with all three boats advancing to the Grand Finals and the varsity four earning its best finish in school history with second place. The last, and only, team national championship came in 2009. However, more recently, the varsity eight won the title in 2009 and the 2V8 took the crown in 2011.

***

Led by first-year head coach Derek Byrnes, the No. 1 Stanford lightweight rowing team, undefeated this spring season, will continue its journey in Princeton, New Jersey towards earning its fifth program national title at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships.

Last season was the first in four years that Stanford did not end the championship weekend standing atop the podium. Cross-country rivals Harvard-Radcliffe took the title with more than a second margin to cushion the win. The Cardinal had led for the entirety of the race before fatigue overcame one of the rowers and the Cardinal fell behind by a fraction of a seat in the final strokes of the Grand Finals.

This year, the lightweight team will look to redeem itself by starting a new national title win streak and bringing another trophy back to the Farm. The lineup of the variety eight boat this season has the luxury of seven returning rowers from their effort last year, spelling potential success for Stanford. Experience, poise and a fire for redemption fuel the team as it heads into IRAs this weekend.

***

In addition to the No. 6 women’s rowing team competing at NCAAs and the No. 2 lightweight team at IRAs, the No. 13 men’s rowing team will compete in the IRA Championships this weekend in West Windsor, New Jersey. Last season, the Cardinal’s varsity eight boat finished first in the C Final on the last day of racing and earned a 16th-place overall finish.

At the end of last season, head coach Craig Amerkhanian commented, “Our men know what they have to do to improve for next year. Through racing this weekend they developed learning techniques. They are leaving with a backpack full of knowledge.”

This upcoming weekend will be the test to determine just how much the men learned.

Contact Ashley Westhem at awesthem ‘at’ stanford.edu. 

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Stanford rowing teams prepare for Pac-12 championships https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/15/stanford-rowing-teams-prepare-for-pac-12-championships/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/15/stanford-rowing-teams-prepare-for-pac-12-championships/#respond Fri, 15 May 2015 07:01:11 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100999 After putting on a dominant performance in 2014 at the annual Big Row, in which all three top women’s rowing boats sealed the deal over Cal, the Cardinal headed into that season’s Pac-12 Championships on a high. This year, however, the team enters the Pac-12s on the tail of narrow losses to the No. 2 Golden […]

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After putting on a dominant performance in 2014 at the annual Big Row, in which all three top women’s rowing boats sealed the deal over Cal, the Cardinal headed into that season’s Pac-12 Championships on a high.

Despite the losses at Big Row, the No. 6 Stanford women's rowing team has accumulated great results this season, with the varsity  eight winning five races on the year and the 2V8 and varsity four earning a pair of victories. The team is enters Pac-12 championships this weekend coming off of a tough loss to Cal.
Despite the losses at Big Row, the No. 6 Stanford women’s rowing team has accumulated great results this season, with the varsity eight winning five races on the year and the 2V8 and varsity four earning a pair of victories. The team is enters Pac-12 championships this weekend coming off of a tough loss to Cal.

This year, however, the team enters the Pac-12s on the tail of narrow losses to the No. 2 Golden Bears at Redwood Shores last weekend; however, the team is proud of its competitive showing over one of the top-ranked teams in the nation.

“The racing was fast today. We gave it our all and Cal was the better team. We’ll look forward to seeing them again in two weeks,” said Stanford’s head coach Yasmin Farooq.

Those two weeks have passed, and the time to race them again is on the horizon as No. 6 Stanford gears up for the conference championships on Sunday.

In addition, they have captured impressive wins over No. 2 Virginia and No. 8 Washington.

Last year the Cardinal surprised the field by capturing their first ever Pac-12 Championship, winning the varsity four, 2V8 and varsity eight races to run away with the title.

***

The No. 1 Stanford lightweight team is expected to continue another successful season this weekend at the PCRC Championships on the heels of a victory over Cal’s 3V8 openweight team at Big Row — setting a new course record in the process — and a scorching showing at the WIRA Championships two and half weeks ago, taking home trophies in the variety eight, 2V8 and novice races. The Cardinal lightweights are 8-0 in their races in 2015.

The Big Row is supposed to bridge the competitive gap between the two rival schools as it honors former Cal coxswain Jill Costello, who lost her battle with cancer. This year the competition further emphasized the melding of the two schools, as Cal’s head coach is former Stanford lightweight head coach Al Acosta. The first-year head coach for the Golden Bears led the Cardinal lightweight program to four IRA National Championships in his last five years on the Farm.

The Cardinal beat the Cal openweights by two boat lengths, scorching the Bears by nearly 13 seconds and setting a team course record with a time of 6:37.4. It was the team’s second-fastest time of the year.

The Cardinal gear up for the PCRC Championships with three WIRA honors among their boats. Katherine Christel, Jackie Huddle and Blaire Hunter were each named to All-WIRA teams after their dominant performances at the WIRA Championships. This weekend will be the final tune-up for the Cardinal before competing in the pinnacle rowing event of the season, the IRA National Championships.

***

No. 1 Cal was too much for then-No. 12 Stanford men’s rowing team at the 82nd Big Row as the Bears won by open water in all three races.

“Cal clearly proved why they are ranked No. 1,” said Stanford head coach Craig Amerkhanian. “They raced at the highest level we have seen here in years. We knew they would be tough going in and we could have raced better, but credit to them for having a great day.”

The varsity eight had competed in four straight races prior to taking on the nation’s top team but have had two weeks to prepare for their next meeting with the Bears at this weekend’s Pac-12 Championships.

The Cardinal will aim to at least match their fourth-place performance at last year’s conference championships, with the varsity eight earning a bronze medal and the 2V8 and frosh eight placing fourth, while the varsity four took fifth.

After competing in the U-23 World Championships each of the last two years, senior captain Kaess Smit was again chosen for the U.S. Men’s Under-23 National Team Selection Camp.  Sophomores Ryan Hails and Ryan O’Rourke are among the eight men announced to the waitlist for the selection camp.

All three Stanford rowing teams compete in their respective championships this Sunday.

Contact Ashley Westhem at awesthem ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Stanford rowers to compete in U-23 World Championships in Italy https://stanforddaily.com/2014/07/18/stanford-rowers-to-compete-in-u-23-world-championships-in-italy/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/07/18/stanford-rowers-to-compete-in-u-23-world-championships-in-italy/#respond Sat, 19 Jul 2014 05:21:32 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1086863 Stanford rowing will be well-represented at the 2014 World Rowing Under-23 Championships in Varese, Italy this month, with seven rowers representing three countries. For the second straight year, rising senior Kaess Smit has been named to the USA U-23 team. After training in Oakland at the national training camp for the month of June, Smit […]

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Stanford rowing will be well-represented at the 2014 World Rowing Under-23 Championships in Varese, Italy this month, with seven rowers representing three countries.

(RICHARD C. ERSTED/isiphotos.com)
Rising senior Kaess Smit (above) has made the US National team for the second straight year, competing last year in the bronze medal winning four boat at the U-23 World Championships in Austria. (RICHARD C. ERSTED/isiphotos.com)

For the second straight year, rising senior Kaess Smit has been named to the USA U-23 team. After training in Oakland at the national training camp for the month of June, Smit was chosen as the bow seat of the men’s coxed eight boat. With the loss of his co-team captain and team leader, Austin Hack, to graduation, the senior will be the remaining veteran who will be expected to carry the varsity eight boat and drive the Stanford team. At the U-23 World Championships in Austria last summer, Smit earned bronze with the U.S. four boat.

Hack has spent the summer thus far training with the national team in the hopes of making the U.S. roster for the 2014 World Rowing Championships. Last summer, he was the only collegiate rower in the senior national team’s eight boat that took bronze at the World Rowing Championships in Chungju, South Korea.

Two Stanford women’s rowers were also named to the U.S. U-23 team. Daphne Martschenko ’14 made the team and will row the bow seat of the 4x after competing at the national team selection training camp in Berkeley this summer, while signee and rising freshman Devin Norder automatically made the USA roster by winning the lightweight women’s double skulls at the U.S. Under-23 World Championship trials. Sophomore Ruth Narode also competed as a signee for Stanford last summer, winning gold with the women’s eight.

Also representing Stanford rowing, but competing for other national teams, include sophomore Lilly Tinnaple for the Australian coxed eight boat, and junior Filippa Karrfelt in double skulls for Sweden.

Finally, junior Brittany Presten and Christine Cavallo of the women’s lightweight rowing team were named to the U.S. U-23 National Team after winning the final of the Ltwt B 4x at the U-23 Trials. They will be joining two rowers who attend Brown University in the 4x boat.

The U-23 World Championships will take place July 21-27.

Contact Ashley Westhem at awesthem ‘at’ stanford.edu. 

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Rowing teams conclude season at NCAAs, IRAs https://stanforddaily.com/2014/06/03/rowing-teams-conclude-season-at-ncaas-iras/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/06/03/rowing-teams-conclude-season-at-ncaas-iras/#respond Tue, 03 Jun 2014 09:01:27 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1086288 Women’s rowing capped of an impressive season with an dominant showing at NCAAs, reaching the podium with a fourth place overall finish and having all three boats compete in the Grand Finals on Sunday. The lightweight team and men’s rowing also finished off their respective seasons at the IRA Championship Regatta. After winning the national title for the past four years straight, the lightweights came in a close second this year. The men’s varsity eight boat finished 13th overall, with their varsity eight boat winning the C Final.

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Women’s rowing capped of an impressive season with an dominant showing at NCAAs, reaching the podium with a fourth place overall finish and having all three boats compete in the Grand Finals on Sunday. The lightweight team and men’s rowing also finished off their respective seasons at the IRA Championship Regatta. After winning the national title for the past four years straight, the lightweights came in a close second this year. The men’s varsity eight boat finished 13th overall, with their varsity eight boat winning the C Final.

(RICHARD C. ERSTED/isiphotos)
Stanford women’s rowing finished fourth overall at the NCAA rowing championships. The varsity four boat (above) had the highest finish of the three Stanford boats competing in the Grand Finals, earning a silver medal. (RICHARD C. ERSTED/isiphotos)

The Cardinal women headed into Friday’s heats after receiving top honors throughout the boat. Head coach Yazmin Farooq was inducted into the National Rowing Foundation Hall of Fame in addition to winning CRCA (Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association) West Regional Coach of the Year and Pac-12 Coach of the Year. Four rowers also received All-Region honors in the West and seven were named CRCA Scholar Athletes. Senior Anna Dawson was also named Pac-12 Athlete of the Year.

After only making it into the C Finals last year in each boat after the first two days and having to watch the Grand Finals from the shore, the Card went into the final day of racing just one point shy of the leader, Ohio State, with the chance to claim the NCAA title. In the 1V8 race, the Card suffered from a poor start and weren’t able to muster enough to get a top finish and came in sixth. The 2V8, similarly, was not able to gain enough momentum to carry it through the rest of the compettion and ended with a fourth place finish.

The varsity four boat, however, turned out to be the secret weapon of the Cardinal and placed second in the Grand Finals with a quick start guaranteeing a top finish. The silver finish secured Stanford the final spot on the podium behind repeat national champions Ohio State, Cal and Brown. It was the highest NCAA finish for the varsity four in school history.

“To get all three boats back in action for trophies and in contention for a national title in one short year is a testament to the commitment these women made to being a better team,” said Farooq to GoStanford.com. “It’s been a privilege to coach them and I’m confident they left it all out there today.”

After starting the season ranked just 13th in the preseason coaches’ poll, the Card exceeded all expectations by contending for the national title at the end of the year, sweeping Cal in the Big Row for the first time since 2009 and winning the program’s first ever Pac-12 title.

Although the lightweights failed to bring home a fifth consecutive IRA national title, the team’s accomplishments throughout the year cannot be overlooked. The team had five first-place finishes heading into IRAs, including a conference win at the PCRC championships, the WIRA Championship Regatta and wins over the Cal openweights at Big Row.

The varsity eight fell to Harvard-Radcliffe in the Grand Finals by less than a second. Stanford led for most of the race but it was the Crimson that pulled out the victory over the Cardinal by a margin of 0.68 seconds. Stanford’s varsity four also placed second in the Grand Finals.

Men’s rowing competed right after the lightweights at Lake Mercer. The 13th overall finish for the varsity eight held true to its No. 13 seed heading into the weekend. The 2V8 also had a top finish in the C Final, coming in third behind Dartmouth and Syracuse to finish 17th overall.

The program will see the departure of senior captain Austin Hack and senior Will Robins, but will otherwise see the return of the bulk of the team, including a group of promising freshmen. Hack will continue rowing for the U.S. national team.

“Our men know what they have to do to improve for next year,” head coach Craig Amerkhanian told GoStanford.com. “Through racing this weekend they developed learning techniques. They are leaving with a backpack full of knowledge.”

Contact Ashley Westhem at awesthem@stanford.edu.

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Women’s lightweight prepares for IRA Championships https://stanforddaily.com/2014/05/28/womens-lightweight-prepares-for-ira-championships/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/05/28/womens-lightweight-prepares-for-ira-championships/#respond Wed, 28 May 2014 08:38:51 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1086060 Everything thus far has been in preparation for one weekend. And that weekend is finally here. The Stanford women’s lightweight crew left early Sunday morning for West Windsor, New Jersey, for the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championship Regatta, considered to be the collegiate national championship for rowing.

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Everything thus far has been in preparation for one weekend. And that weekend is finally here. The Stanford women’s lightweight crew left early Sunday morning for West Windsor, New Jersey, for the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championship Regatta, considered to be the collegiate national championship for rowing.

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Stanford’s women’s lightweight rowing team traveled to the East Coast early Sunday morning in preparation for this coming weekend’s IRA Championship Regatta, in which the Cardinal have a chance to win their fifth consecutive title. (ASHLEY WESTHEM/The Stanford Daily)

By Sunday, the lightweights will know whether the five consecutive first-place finishes that they have earned thus far, including top finishes at the PCRC Championships, Big Row and WIRA Championship Regatta, truly indicate their dominance on the water.

“That’s one of the best and worst things about being on this team — we’ve been the national champions for four years now and so there’s a lot of high expectations and all year we are working to meet and exceed those expectations as much as possible,” said sophomore Katherine Christel.

Stanford will be one of nine lightweight varsity eights competing for the IRA title and, most importantly, will be seeking its fifth consecutive national championship. Stanford will also be fielding its varsity four, which competed for the first time this year at the PCRC Championships and finished second in the open field.

The team had three hard workouts before heading east and has been tapering since then, getting mentally prepared for competition and easing up on rigorous workouts in order to be rested for the first two races on Saturday. The Card have had light training sessions at Princeton all week and will continue to adjust to the humidity — and the havoc it wreaks on their calloused hands — and the water conditions of the East Coast.

The Stanford varsity eight lightweights will be joined by a field including Boston University, Bucknell, Georgetown, MIT, Princeton, Harvard-Radcliffe, Tulsa and Wisconsin. Last year, Stanford beat Harvard-Radcliffe by open water, coming in four seconds ahead. Although Stanford remains the heavy favorite, Harvard-Radcliffe will again be one of Stanford’s top competitors this year.

The first two heats of competition for both the varsity eight and varsity four will be held on Saturday with the Grand Finals on Sunday.

Contact Ashley Westhem at awesthem ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Another step towards a title for women’s lightweight rowing https://stanforddaily.com/2014/05/19/another-step-towards-a-title-for-womens-lightweight-rowing/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/05/19/another-step-towards-a-title-for-womens-lightweight-rowing/#respond Tue, 20 May 2014 06:07:39 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1085754 No. 2 Stanford lightweight rowing took care of business at the Pacific Coast Rowing (PCRC) Championships on Saturday — one more step towards its ultimate goal of repeating its title at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships. The Cardinal competed with two boats in the Open 8+ race and ended up taking first and second […]

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No. 2 Stanford lightweight rowing took care of business at the Pacific Coast Rowing (PCRC) Championships on Saturday — one more step towards its ultimate goal of repeating its title at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships.

The Cardinal competed with two boats in the Open 8+ race and ended up taking first and second in the event. The Stanford A boat finished an astonishing 50.3 seconds ahead of the B boat, which beat third-place Colorado by 25.6 seconds. For the varsity eight, it was its eighth win of the spring season and fifth consecutive victory.

Stanford women's lightweight rowing took another step towards its goal of an NCAA title by winning the PCRC Championships. (ASHLEY WESTHEM/The Stanford Daily)
Stanford women’s lightweight rowing (above) took another step towards its goal of an IRA Championship by winning the PCRC Championships over the weekend. (ASHLEY WESTHEM/The Stanford Daily)

“There was a little bit of wind so there is always a concern that we might not get our catches in clean,” said junior Mackenzie Crist. “But we did a good job of executing our race.”

Despite not racing a single four event the entire spring, the Card put together three boats to race in the two heats of the Women’s Collegiate 4+ in order to prepare for IRAs.

“This was our first race as a four and was really a dress rehearsal for IRAs in two weeks,” said junior coxswain Allison Nguyen. “It is a little different because there are less people in the boat so the intensity isn’t as much. It is up to you to carry out the race plan. We were down off the start but our race plan is to keep our heads in the boat. At the 250 [mark] we started walking on Sacramento State…I was really happy with our result and am proud of everybody in the boat. We have a great point to work off of the next two weeks.”

The A boat finished five seconds behind USC to take second place in the first heat. Stanford’s B and C boats finished second and fourth, respectively, in the second heat.

“Our mindset for this race was to focus internally on our boat and see what we could do,” Crist said. “We wanted to have a race that we would feel confident in heading in to IRAs. We did a good job of having a steady race to accomplish that goal.”

The lightweights will now prepare for the real test of their season in West Windsor, New Jersey at the IRA National Championships, which start May 28.

Contact Ashley Westhem at awesthem ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Crew takes aim at conference championships on Lake Natoma https://stanforddaily.com/2014/05/16/crew-takes-aim-at-conference-championships-on-lake-natoma/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/05/16/crew-takes-aim-at-conference-championships-on-lake-natoma/#respond Fri, 16 May 2014 10:29:43 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1085658 It is conference championship weekend for Stanford rowing as the men’s, women’s and women’s lightweight teams are set to compete in their respective conference championships. All three teams will travel to Lake Natoma in Gold River, California, for their championships — the Pac-12 Championships will take place on Sunday for the men’s and women’s teams, […]

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It is conference championship weekend for Stanford rowing as the men’s, women’s and women’s lightweight teams are set to compete in their respective conference championships. All three teams will travel to Lake Natoma in Gold River, California, for their championships — the Pac-12 Championships will take place on Sunday for the men’s and women’s teams, while the PCRC Championships will be held on Saturday for women’s lightweight team.

Senior Austin Hack (above) will look to help lead the men's crew team to its first ever conference championship at Lake Natoma. (RICHARD C. ERSTED/The Stanford Daily)
Senior Austin Hack (above) will look to help lead the men’s crew team to its first ever conference championship at Lake Natoma. (RICHARD C. ERSTED/The Stanford Daily)

After winning the Big Row in convincing fashion for only the third time since 1997, No. 3 Stanford women’s rowing will look to cap off one of the most successful seasons in recent memory with a conference championship. The Cardinal enter as the top-ranked team in the competition with No. 4 Cal, No. 7 Washington, No. 8 USC, No. 12 UCLA, No. 15 Washington State and No. 19 Oregon State as the other ranked PAC-12 competitors.

Stanford is no stranger to tough competition, however, having also faced off against No. 1 Brown, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 5 Virginia and No. 9 Michigan this season in addition to its tough Pac-12 matchups. At the time, the Cardinal’s varsity four handed Virginia its first defeat of the season. With a victory at the conference championship, Stanford could end Cal’s streak of six consecutive Pac-12 championships; the Bears have also won nine of the last 10 Pac-12 titles.

After four consecutive runner-up finishes from 2008-2011, women’s rowing has finished fourth and fifth in the past two years, respectively. By beating Cal and securing the Lambert Cup for the first time since 2009, Stanford might be poised to make a run at its first Pac-12 title in history.

No. 12 Stanford men’s rowing will be hoping to win its first conference title in history and make its first top-two finish since 1993, as the Cardinal have finished either third or fourth at every conference championship since then. In all but one of those years, Washington and Cal have taken the top-two spots in the conference, and it will take the Cardinal’s best performance to take them down—Washington is ranked first in the country while Cal is ranked second.

The Cardinal varsity eight boat has recorded three first-place finishes this year at the Davis Invitational, the San Diego Crew Classic and the Stanford Invitational, including a win against then-No. 12 Wisconsin. In their last contest, men’s rowing was forced to surrender the Schwabacher Cup in the Big Row when Cal’s varsity eight boat finished just under 10 seconds ahead of the Cardinal’s. Led by last year’s Pac-12 Athlete of the Year, senior Austin Hack, the Cardinal will attempt to take revenge against Washington, Cal and other Pac-12 schools on Sunday.

The women’s lightweight rowing team, currently ranked second in the nation, will enter two races in the PCRC championships. Two boats will compete in the Women’s Open 8+ race and three boats will compete in the Women’s Collegiate 4+ race. Stanford should be favored to win, as the varsity eight boat has won seven of its nine races this year, including a win in the Big Row against Cal in its last competition. Following the PCRC championships, women’s lightweight rowing will row in the IRA Championships, looking for its fifth straight national title.

Stanford rowing will start off the weekend Saturday morning when the women’s lightweight rowing team begins its competition at 10:10 a.m. Subsequently on Sunday, the men’s and women’s rowing teams will begin their days at 9 a.m. The men’s and women’s Pac-12 Championships can be seen on the Pac-12 Networks.

Contact Michael Peterson at mrpeters@stanford.edu.

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Cardinal prepare for Big Row https://stanforddaily.com/2014/05/02/cardinal-prepare-for-big-row/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/05/02/cardinal-prepare-for-big-row/#respond Fri, 02 May 2014 07:31:09 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1085211 This Saturday, all three Stanford rowing teams, each ranked in the top 15 in the nation, will face Cal in the annual Big Row at Redwood Shores.

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This Saturday, all three Stanford rowing teams, each ranked in the top 15 in the nation, will face Cal in the annual Big Row at Redwood Shores.

All three Stanford rowing teams will face Cal in the Big Row this weekend. While the men's crew will be looking for speed from its cast of freshmen, the veteran women will hope to erase four straight losses to Cal. (RICHARD C. ERSTED/StanfordPhoto.com)
All three Stanford rowing teams will face Cal in the Big Row this weekend. While the men’s crew will be looking for speed from its cast of freshmen, the veteran women will hope to erase four straight losses to Cal. (RICHARD C. ERSTED/StanfordPhoto.com)

The No. 11 men’s team is coming off of a weeklong hiatus from competition after three consecutive weekends of racing, the last of which was a sweep at home in the Stanford Invitational.

In preparation for No. 2 Cal, the men spent the week after the Invite doing more work on the erg (indoor rowing machine) and split the varsity into two four-boats to keep the team in a competitive mindset. This past week, however, was a transition back onto the water with the emphasis placed on speed work at race pace.

“With the races every week, we really were on the water all the time, which is great,” said senior Austin Hack. “But it’s nice to kind of taste your own blood a little bit and just hit it hard on the erg to just remember what it feels like.”

In last year’s regatta, the Cardinal were successful against Cal, upsetting the clear favorites by 1.5 seconds and winning the Schwabacher Cup for the first time since 2008. This year, the Card head into Saturday’s regatta with more uncertainty as the final varsity boat (1V8) lineups have been in constant flux this season and four freshmen are vying for positions, as opposed to the four veteran seniors that held those spots last year.

“It’s different than last year for sure. We had the eight guys who had been rowing all season and then maybe one guy would have a chance [of getting in the 1V8 boat],” Hack said. “Against Cal, we might switch out but in reality the lineup would be consistent, but this year we are just looking for something that looks better than what we have.”

“It’s four seniors [last year] versus four freshmen,” said junior Kaess Smit. “If you look at the raw power of the boat and talent, empirically we have the faster boat [this year].”

Cal heads into Saturday’s regatta coming off of a narrow loss to then-No. 2 Washington at Redwood Shores last weekend. Cal and Washington are projected to finish in the top two spots in the nation at the IRA Championships in May, so Saturday will be a good barometer for the men’s team moving forward before Pac-12 Championships and IRAs.

“We’re always going to be the underdogs, that’s always how it’s been [against Cal]. But if we can figure it out and put forth a lot of good spirit it might turn out [well],” Hack said. “No matter what you feel about the race, when you reach the starting line, even if you think you’re going to lose, if you’re even 500 meters in, then all that is behind and it’s just racing from there.”

The women’s races will be a top-five showdown as No. 4 Stanford takes on No. 2 Cal. Cal has beaten the Card and taken home the Lambert Cup for the past four years. With none of the current rowers on the Stanford team having beaten Cal during their times on the Farm and after being swept in all four races last year, the extra incentive and motivation to succeed this Saturday is great.

“It should be a good race, we’re feeling pretty good,” said senior Christina Bax. “We’ve never beaten Cal during my time at Stanford and I’m a senior so this is my last chance. So it is exciting that this could be the year, and I hope it is.”

Last weekend, the Card competed against USC, with the 2V8 winning its second straight race against the Trojans and the 1V8 falling just short.

“Coming off a loss for the 1V [against USC], we’re really fired up to figure out how we can go faster and win this weekend,” Bax said. “It’s hard to lose, but at the same time, it’s good to lose because it motivates you even more because you don’t want that feeling of losing anymore.”

Finally, the No. 2 Stanford women’s lightweight team will go up against the Cal 3V8 and 4V8 boats, as Cal does not have a lightweight team. The Card, however, already gained experience against Cal’s openweight boats at the Pac-12 Challenge in early April. The 1V8 loss to Cal’s 3V8 was one of their only defeats of the season and the Card are ready for a second shot at the Bears.

“We’ve really been working over the past couple of weeks at fine-tuning our race plan and seeing how we can get off the start faster,” said sophomore Katherine Christel. “So I’m really excited to start practicing that before IRAs because we really only have this regatta and then one more after that before we go to nationals.”

Stanford’s lightweight team will start competition for the day at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, with the rest of the races alternating between the men’s and women’s teams until 11 a.m.

Contact Ashley Westhem at awesthem ‘at’ stanford.edu. 

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Lightweight rowing emerges victorious at WIRA Championships https://stanforddaily.com/2014/04/28/lightweight-rowing-emerges-victorious-at-wira-championships/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/04/28/lightweight-rowing-emerges-victorious-at-wira-championships/#respond Tue, 29 Apr 2014 06:49:26 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1084980 The No. 2 Stanford women’s lightweight varsity eight boat won the grand final of the WV8 D1/Open event at the WIRA (Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association) Championships on Lake Natoma in Rancho Cordova, California, on Sunday. The win is the second two-day race event in which the Cardinal have taken home the gold. It was the varsity eight boat’s sixth first-place finish this spring out of eight races. The varsity eight has won all four of its races in two-day regattas.

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The No. 2 Stanford women’s lightweight varsity eight boat won the grand final of the WV8 D1/Open event at the WIRA (Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association) Championships on Lake Natoma in Rancho Cordova, California, on Sunday. The win is the second two-day race event in which the Cardinal have taken home the gold. It was the varsity eight boat’s sixth first-place finish this spring out of eight races. The varsity eight has won all four of its races in two-day regattas.

Members of the 1V8 title-winning boat include freshmen Jackie Huddle and Christine Cavallo, sophomores Brittany Presten and Katherine Christel, juniors Mackenzie Crist, Alicia Kapjian-Pitt, Jordan Duval-Smith and Bailey Yuro and senior Molly Hayes.

The Cardinal had their second consecutive weekend of competition after travelling to Boston last weekend to race against four of the other top-seven teams in the nation. The 1V8 fell to then-No. 2 Harvard-Radcliffe but finished ahead of No. 4 Boston University, No. 5 Wisconsin and No. 7 MIT.

On Lake Natoma, the 1V8 and 2V8 boats had strong finishes on Saturday to advance to the finals on Sunday. The 1V8 finished in first place on the first day of competition, five seconds ahead of the next closest finisher, beating Portland State, Seattle and San Diego State. The 2V8 placed third. The 1V8’s time of 6:51.50 was the fastest of the eight teams in the two heats of the event that weekend.

According to head coach Al Acosta, for both two-day regattas that the team has raced in this season (the second being the San Diego Crew Classic), the team has emphasized coming out hard and leaving nothing to regret on Saturday to put them in a good place heading into the second day of racing. In the WIRA and San Diego events, the plan panned out and the Card’s 1V8 came home with gold medals from both.

“After Saturday’s race we identified a few things to work on, so those were our main focus during the race [on Sunday],” Hayes said.

Headwinds on Sunday slowed times slightly and the team also suffered a technical failure, but that didn’t affect the consistency across the Card’s races, which has been a season-long goal. Despite being the only lightweight team to go up against other schools’ openweight boats, Stanford won by open water with a time of 6:53.0, finishing just over four seconds ahead of Sacramento State and 6.5 seconds in front of Saint Mary’s.

“We had some unexpected adversity in the second half of [Sunday’s] race when the ‘cox box’ — the microphone system — went out, but we handled it well and didn’t let it affect us,” Hayes said.

The 2V8 finished in fifth on Sunday while the varsity four boat earned silver after finishing 5.5 seconds behind UC-Irvine, despite trailing by a greater margin for the majority of the race.

“As a team, I’m really proud of how far we’ve come during the season,” Hayes said. “Our lightweight four boat did great by earning a second place [finish] during their final today.”

The Cardinal will regroup this week before their annual Big Row against California this Saturday at Redwood Shores. The upcoming regatta will provide another opportunity to prepare for the IRA Championships at the end of May.

Contact Ashley Westhem at awesthem ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Rowing teams take strides in weekend regattas https://stanforddaily.com/2014/04/09/rowing-teams-take-strides-in-weekend-regattas/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/04/09/rowing-teams-take-strides-in-weekend-regattas/#respond Wed, 09 Apr 2014 09:26:13 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1084254 All three Stanford rowing teams competed last weekend, making big strides in their respective regattas to gain momentum heading into the main part of the season.

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All three Stanford rowing teams competed last weekend, making big strides in their respective regattas to gain momentum heading into the main part of the season.

(MICHAEL PIMENTEL/stanfordphoto.com)
Senior Austin Hack (right) led the No. 8 Stanford men’s rowing team to a berth in the finals of the Men’s Collegiate Invitational at the San Diego Crew Classic. The team finished third in the final heat, but has room for improvement with the final varsity boat combination still to be determined. (MICHAEL PIMENTEL/stanfordphoto.com)

Lightweight women’s, in its first regatta of the season against other lightweight teams specifically, followed up its 2013 IRA National Championship with a first place finish in the Collegiate Lightweight Grand Final at the San Diego Crew Classic. The varsity eight outpaced its greatest competition in the Classic, Princeton, by a margin of just over five seconds to finish the weekend undefeated. The win extended the varsity eight boat’s winning streak in the Classic to four consecutive years.

“[Princeton] is throughout the season our [greatest] competitor, and so we go in hoping that we’ll come out on top but I wouldn’t say it’s a given; they are a very competitive team and we go into it with a fighting spirit,” said junior Mackenzie Crist.

On Saturday, in the first heat, the Cardinal routed Princeton, winning by a huge margin of nine seconds. Typically a big win is considered to be of a margin at which point the boats don’t overlap and there’s open water — for a men’s race that’s three seconds and for women’s is four to five — so Stanford had a considerable victory over Princeton in both heats. Since the pool of boats is so small (five boats), all boats advance to the final heat; the teams were competing for lane-placement.

The Crew Classic took place at Mission Bay in San Diego, where the course has its lane disadvantages due to the current and the crosswind from the ocean, with lane one being more protected. The Cardinal secured lane one by winning the first heat and put itself in a good position to win the final heat.

This weekend also served as a measure for how the team will fare against Harvard in races to come, since Harvard reigns among the greatest competitors in lightweight. Harvard did not compete in the Classic, but Stanford will go up against the Crimson in two weeks in Boston.

“During the final event, though we knew we were a faster crew than Princeton, we wanted to make sure that we could beat them as much as we possibly could,” said sophomore Brittany Presten. “Based on last year, our biggest competition is Harvard, so it was important to set a tone and get practice being as aggressive as we can for when we meet a crew that is faster and better than us.”

***

No. 8 men’s rowing also competed in the San Diego Crew Classic, with the varsity eight advancing to the finals of the Men’s Collegiate Invitational, which features the best collegiate eights in the field, after edging No. 10 Northeastern in the prelims by 2.7 seconds.

Since it was the same location that the lightweights had to face, the prelims were also especially important in terms of lane placement. Instead of having the top seeds placed in the middle lanes, the winner of the heat was placed in the more-advantageous lane one.

“We’ve been thinking a lot about starting and getting out really fast so we executed and did what we wanted to do…which was winning the heat,” said senior Austin Hack.

The Card wasn’t able to muster the same dominant performance and fell to No. 2 Cal by a margin of just over 15 seconds and Northeastern by 7.74 seconds on Sunday in the final heat to finish in third. The Cardinal, however, have yet to settle on a fixed varsity eight boat. With the lineup changing with each practice and with four freshmen competing in the varsity eight boat on Sunday, Stanford has a lot of room for improvement.

In the final heat on Sunday, the Cardinal started off slow, allowing Cal to take the early lead and eventually allowing Northeastern to overtake them.

“We knew that Cal was the fastest off the starting line and so we were trying to get out with them,” Hack said. “We were already having a shaky race, so as [Cal] moved away we were just thinking about that boat and then they were gone and Northeastern started coming up on us a bit and they gradually overtook us.”

Despite an undesirable finish in the final heat, the Card still gained a moral victory in beating a highly respected Northeastern team by a good margin in the prelims, providing confidence for the team and setting the groundwork for this weekend’s races against Washington, Washington State and Oregon State.

“We’re hoping that we can improve from this race and find out what combinations work best for our varsity boat and move people around so we can keep working towards our fastest line-up,” Hack said. “It wouldn’t be out of the question to be making switches the week before the national championship.”

***

Finally, No. 11 women’s rowing had a great display at the Oregon State Classic, its second regatta of the season, with the 2V8 (second varsity eight boat) halting No. 2 Ohio State’s 19-race winning streak, holding off the Buckeyes’ early surge to come out on top.

“We went out and started ahead and then [Ohio State] took a really great move and ended up walking through [overtaking] us and winning the race. So Ohio State upped the pressure, passed us and ended up winning the race by one-point-four seconds,” said sophomore Emily Grundman. “For us, that served as motivation for in the afternoon, which we ended up winning. The second [race] was really close as well. Ohio State lost by 1.2 seconds so the margins were pretty similar, but it was flipped this time in our favor and everything worked out in a really great way.”

It’s especially important for the 2V8 to do well in addition to the varsity eight boat, as the whole team has to collectively have enough success to qualify for NCAAs, so the depth of the team early on (including the varsity four boat) holds great importance in its qualification at the end of the season. Each of Stanford’s 1V8, 2V8 and varsity four boats finished in the top three in the morning and afternoon sessions of the Classic.

“Ohio State won NCAAs last year, which is great to have such a tough schedule because it motivates you to compete to the best of your capabilities, and the 1V8 boat only got edged out by Ohio State by one second, so the margin was really close,” Grundman said. “That really bodes well for us for the future because this was only our second regatta of the season. So knowing that this is where we are currently and that this is something where we can put in more work and develop as the season continues, is just so intensely gratifying.”

Contact Ashley Westhem at awesthem ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Top 10: Stanford sports moments of 2013 https://stanforddaily.com/2014/01/16/top-10-stanford-sports-moments-of-2013/ https://stanforddaily.com/2014/01/16/top-10-stanford-sports-moments-of-2013/#respond Fri, 17 Jan 2014 05:04:43 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1081563 In a year of great sports moments for Stanford athletes, Jason Collins’ announcement in April 2013 regarding his sexual orientation was tremendously courageous. One can only hope that Collins’ announcement leads to greater acceptance and tolerance of LGBT rights in the sports world.

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1. Jason Collins ’01 comes out, becoming the first openly gay male athlete in a major American team sport

The courageous announcement by Jason Collins '01 (above) in April tops Stanford's 2013 in sports. (DAVID GONZALES/StanfordPhoto.com)
The courageous announcement by Jason Collins ’01 (above) in April tops Stanford’s 2013 in sports. (DAVID GONZALES/StanfordPhoto.com)

In a year of great sports moments for Stanford athletes, Jason Collins’ announcement in April 2013 regarding his sexual orientation was tremendously courageous. One can only hope that Collins’ announcement leads to greater acceptance and tolerance of LGBT rights in the sports world.

2. Stanford women’s tennis wins NCAA Championship, leading Card to 19th consecutive Directors’ Cup

Stanford women’s tennis kept the Cardinal’s national championship streak alive in the most dramatic of fashions; as the No. 12 seed, the Card took down four out of the top five seeds in the final rounds of the NCAA tournament en route to the title.

3. Stanford football wins second consecutive Pac-12 Championship, earns berth in 100th Rose Bowl Game

Stanford football once again won the Pac-12 Conference in 2013 while leaving an indelible mark on the national landscape; after winning the Rose Bowl on the first day of 2013 with a win over Wisconsin, the Card subsequently reaffirmed its status as one of the best programs on the West Coast with a statement win against No. 3 Oregon and another conference title.

4. Stanford women’s lightweight crew wins fourth consecutive IRA National Championship

Women’s lightweight crew continued to add to its dynasty in 2013 with yet another IRA National Championship. In the process, the Cardinal earned the Collegiate Crew of the Year Award.

5. Cardinal baseball pitcher Mark Appel ’13 sets career strikeout record, is drafted No. 1 overall to Houston Astros

Appel cemented his legacy as one of the greatest pitchers in program history by earning the career strikeout record in the Friday night opener of the Card’s final series against UCLA. Appel also subsequently validated the decision to return for his senior season when he was drafted No. 1 overall by his hometown Houston Astros in June.

6. Women’s basketball head coach Tara VanDerveer earns 900th career victory

VanDerveer continued to add accolades to her Hall of Fame career with her 900th win, which came in November in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, against Florida Gulf Coast. In the last 12 months, VanDerveer also helped the Card to another Pac-12 title and a No. 1 seed in the 2013 NCAA tournament.

7. Women’s water polo falls in epic quadruple-overtime NCAA Championship Game against USC

Stanford women’s water polo played in 2013 NCAA Championship Game, a contest that some people have called the greatest collegiate water polo game ever. Although the Cardinal came out on the losing end, Stanford and USC captivated their audience with a back-and-forth affair that finally ended in the third sudden-death period.

8. Synchronized swimming wins U.S. Collegiate National Championship

During the 2013 season, the synchronized swimming team captured its seventh national championship, and its first since 2008, while dispatching Ohio State for the crown.

9. Women’s lacrosse wins first NCAA tournament game in program history over Notre Dame

Women’s lacrosse set a new high-water mark for its program with its first-round victory against Notre Dame. Junior Hannah Farr scored the winning goal with four seconds left to shock the Fighting Irish.

10. Sand volleyball competes in its first season

The athletics department debuted a new varsity sport in the spring of 2013, when the women’s sand volleyball team competed in its inaugural season. The Card posted a 7-1 record, with wins over Santa Clara, Pacific and San Francisco.

Contact David Cohn at dmcohn ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Women’s lightweight crew takes national championship https://stanforddaily.com/2013/06/04/womens-lightweight-crew-takes-national-championship/ https://stanforddaily.com/2013/06/04/womens-lightweight-crew-takes-national-championship/#respond Wed, 05 Jun 2013 05:42:42 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1077679 For the fourth year in a row, the Stanford women’s lightweight crew I Eight reigned victorious at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships. “To be completely honest, I barely remember the 20 minutes after the race ended,” said sophomore Mackenzie Crist. “It was hard to process what had just happened, but we were all […]

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For the fourth year in a row, the Stanford women’s lightweight crew I Eight reigned victorious at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships.

“To be completely honest, I barely remember the 20 minutes after the race ended,” said sophomore Mackenzie Crist. “It was hard to process what had just happened, but we were all unbelievably excited. It still hasn’t sunk in, but I definitely smile every time I think about our race.”

The Cardinal’s biggest competition going into the IRAs was Harvard-Radcliffe—a team that went undefeated during the regular season and held the No. 1 seed going into the weekend. Earlier in the season, then-No. 2 Harvard-Radcliffe beat then-No. 1 Cardinal by a significant six-second margin at a race in which Stanford took second.

On Saturday, the competing boats were divided into two separate heats to determine who would advance to Sunday’s grand final. Stanford finished over five seconds ahead of the field, in front of Bucknell, Princeton and MIT. Stanford’s time was nearly identical to that of Harvard-Radcliffe after the first day of competition, edging the Crimson by about half a second.

“Going into the weekend was definitely a little nerve-wracking. I think it was after this race [on Saturday] that our potential to win became very real to me,” said Crist.

Sunday’s IRA Grand Final pitted the Cardinal against Harvard-Radcliffe, Bucknell, Princeton, Georgetown, and Wisconsin. Stanford crossed the finish line first by almost four seconds, beating Harvard-Radcliffe by almost the same margin that it had been beaten by previously.

Stanford jumped out to an early one-second lead at the 500m mark and never looked back. By the 1,000m marker the Card had increased the time gap to two and a half seconds and had pushed the lead to three seconds with 500m left in the race.

“Just a few strokes into the race, I felt pretty confident about our position,” Crist said. “Halfway into the race, we had a good lead and I realized that we were going to win. We got ahead early and continued to open water on the boats behind us.

“The second half of the race was a blur,” she continued. “We were all unbelievably exhausted but knowing that the ‘four-peat’ we had been talking about all season was about to become a reality kept us pushing towards the finish line. Crossing the finish line first was surreal.”

The Card opened up the season ranked No. 1, winning the San Diego Crew Classic for the seventh-consecutive year. The team also earned a second-place finish at the WIRA Championships this year against open-weight competition.

 

Contact Ashley Westhem at awesthem@stanford.edu.

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W. Lightweight: National Champions https://stanforddaily.com/2010/06/06/w-lightweight-national-champions/ https://stanforddaily.com/2010/06/06/w-lightweight-national-champions/#comments Sun, 06 Jun 2010 23:04:15 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1041568 At yesterday’s IRA National Championships in Cherry Hill, N.J., the No. 2 Stanford women’s lightweight rowing team took home its first national title, defeating favorite Wisconsin by nearly four seconds.

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W. Lightweight: National Champions
From left to right: coaches Katie Sweet and Al Acosta, coxswain Mariel Lanas '12, Gen Tuveson '12, captain Gretchen Stumhofer '11, Liz Fenje '13, Anna Garbier '12, Kit Evans '13, Melissa Hesselgrave '12, Alex Cours '13, Caitlin Morgan '13. (Courtesy of Katherine Heflin)

At yesterday’s IRA National Championships in Cherry Hill, N.J., the No. 2 Stanford women’s lightweight rowing team took home its first national title.

The Lightweight Eight team, captained by junior Gretchen Stumhofer, defeated favorite Wisconsin by nearly four seconds, with Princeton taking third place.

With a final time of 6:28.209, the team also set a new course record by almost a second.

The victory is the first time Stanford’s lightweights have won an IRA national championship. Their previous best finish was third place, which they took him in 2008 and 2009.

In its other event, the Lightweight Four, the Cardinal rowers placed fifth with a time of 7:44.833.

While the lightweight’s victory is not an NCAA Championship, it marks the third national title won overall by Stanford’s teams this spring. Last month, the men’s volleyball and women’s tennis teams both took home titles.

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BRIEF: Men and lightweight women head to New Jersey for IRA nationals https://stanforddaily.com/2010/06/03/brief-men-and-lightweight-women-head-to-new-jersey-for-ira-nationals/ https://stanforddaily.com/2010/06/03/brief-men-and-lightweight-women-head-to-new-jersey-for-ira-nationals/#respond Thu, 03 Jun 2010 07:40:04 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1041510 Today marks the start of the IRA National Championship regatta in Cherry Hill, N.J. Both the Stanford men’s rowing team and women’s lightweight rowing team will compete at the event, which will last three days.

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Today marks the start of the IRA National Championship regatta in Cherry Hill, N.J. Both the Stanford men’s rowing team and women’s lightweight rowing team will compete at the event, which will last three days.

The men’s team, led by head coach Craig Amerkhanian, earned four bronze medals in the Pac-10 Championships last month by placing third in the Varsity Four, I Varsity Eight, II Varsity Eight and Frosh Eight. All four races ended with Washington taking first and Cal taking second. Stanford’s I Varsity Eight is currently ranked No. 12 in the U.S. Rowing Collegiate poll.

The women’s lightweight team, led by head coach Al Acosta, controlled the eight-person competition at the WIRA Championships. The “A” and “B” teams placed first and second overall, ahead of teams from Willamette, Long Beach State, UC-San Diego and Washington State. The Cardinal novice four placed sixth. Stanford’s Varsity Eight is currently ranked No. 2 in the USRowing Collegiate poll.

Competition at the regatta begins bright and early at 5:30 a.m. PST.

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BRIEF: Women’s lightweight rowing takes top two spots at WIRAs https://stanforddaily.com/2010/05/19/brief-women%e2%80%99s-lightweight-rowing-takes-top-two-spots-at-wiras/ https://stanforddaily.com/2010/05/19/brief-women%e2%80%99s-lightweight-rowing-takes-top-two-spots-at-wiras/#respond Wed, 19 May 2010 07:40:16 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1041193 The Cardinal’s “A” boat cruised to an easy victory, while the “B” boat pulled away halfway through. Stanford’s novice four placed sixth...

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Stanford’s lightweight crew team took first and second at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships on May 2.

The Cardinal’s “A” boat cruised to an easy victory, while the “B” boat pulled away halfway through. Stanford’s novice four placed sixth.

With the win, Stanford’s “A” boat advanced to the IRA National Championships.

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BRIEF: Rowing teams have mixed success in early season https://stanforddaily.com/2010/04/08/brief-rowing-teams-have-mixed-success-in-early-season/ https://stanforddaily.com/2010/04/08/brief-rowing-teams-have-mixed-success-in-early-season/#respond Thu, 08 Apr 2010 07:40:07 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1039870 While the Stanford women’s rowing teams have been successful in the early races of their seasons, the men’s rowing team has faced greater struggles...

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While the Stanford women’s rowing teams have been successful in the early races of their seasons, the men’s rowing team has faced greater struggles.

The men were swept by No. 1 Washington in a regatta on Saturday in Redwood Shores, Calif. after being swept by No. 2 California the week before at the San Diego Crew Classic.

The women are ranked No. 3 in the nation as they begin their quest to repeat as national champions. At their first regatta of the spring, the Pac-10 Challenge in Redwood Shores, Stanford’s first eight won against Washington to finish the weekend undefeated. The other boats for Stanford fared moderately well against boats from Oregon State, Washington, Wisconsin, Cal and Iowa.

The women’s lightweight team secured its fourth consecutive A.W. Coggeshall Cup in San Diego when its “B” boat finished ahead of Tulsa and the Stanford “A” boat.

The men will be back in action on April 17 and 18 at the Stanford Invitational. The women will compete that same weekend at the Lake Natoma Invitational in Gold River, Calif. The lightweights will take on Princeton, Tulsa and Wisconsin this Saturday in Redwood Shores.

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