Sunday’s Pac-10 Championships feature is looking to be one of the most competitive ever, with the men’s Varsity eight race featuring the top two ranked teams in the country. On the women’s side of things every race should be a barn-burner with NCAA selection on the line.
The weather forecast for the regatta is atypically cool with a 60% chance of rain. Recent years have seen triple digit temps for the racing, but how the wind blows this year with the change in weather may swing the championship.
MEN’S VARSITY EIGHT
The regatta will feature round two of California vs. Washington. The two rivals sit atop the current USRowing Collegiate Poll with Washington holding the #1 by virtue of their 3-second win over the Bears in their dual three weeks ago.
The pace set by the two crews should be unrelenting, “To win during the season you’ve got to be great, but to win at the Pac-10’s this year you’ll have to be perfect,” said Oregon State coach Steve Todd. “I've been impressed by Washington's hunger. They've been limited in opportunities to race, so each time out they're relentless. Cal's composure in the Wisconsin race when they were pressed and their pressure that they applied to UW at the Dual make them a threat at the Championships.”
An interesting subplot to the varsity eight race is the race for the third; the last automatic qualifying spot for IRAs. Stanford has shown the speed so far this spring, but has yet to race with an IRA eligible crew; racing with Freshmen Austin Hack in their top boat every race so far. If Hack remains in the Varsity eight this weekend and Stanford finishes in third, Stanford will not receive the third IRA bid, and that bid will become an at large selection.
WOMEN’S VARSITY EIGHT
The final event on the program, the women’s varsity eight race is shaping up to be the race of the day. USC arrives as the favorite and is unbeaten this spring, defeating both Cal and Stanford in San Diego, as well as rowing to dual wins over Virginia, MSU, Clemson, and UCLA. Cal and Stanford have split their two meetings so far this spring and both are looking to go after USC for the conference crown.
“I wanted to make the race schedule tougher this year, and it certainly has been,” said Cal coach Dave O’Neill. “We've race all but one of the top seven programs so far. We took some lumps along the way, but we're better for it."
Six of the seven women’s teams are currently ranked in the latest USRowing poll (Cal tied for #1, Stanford #3, USC #4, Washington #7, WSU #14, UCLA #17), so all the races should be hotly contested. The race for spots four through six will be critical for NCAA selection.
MEN’S 2ND VARSITY EIGHT
The depth of Washington speed will be on display in this race. Washington junior Tom Lehmann hasn’t cracked into their top eight this year (yet) and he finished 4th in the men’s pair at the Beijing Olympics. The rest of the field will likely have a difficult time keeping pace. Washington is unbeaten this spring in the JV, winning all their races by open water, the closest of which was Cal by over ten seconds.
WOMEN’S 2ND VARSITY EIGHT
Results so far this spring in the women’s 2V have been somewhat mixed. Washington won in San Diego over Stanford and USC, but then lost to Cal in their dual. Then the following week, Cal lost to Stanford at the Big Row so really anything is possible in this race. Stanford comes in with the top seed but expect close racing across the field.
MEN’S VARSITY FOUR
Washington is again the class of the field in this five boat race. Cal was unable to maintain contact in their dual and will be hard pressed to make this race any closer. The race for the last medal should be up for grabs between Stanford, Oregon State, and Washington State.
WOMEN’S VARSITY FOUR
The women’s four has shown pretty good racing so far this spring, and the conference championships look to be no different. Cal is the top seed following dual wins over Stanford and Washington, but all seven crews have shown pretty good speed at some point. UCLA is seeded second with defending champs Washington 3rd. The four can be a very important race, as potentially an NCAA team bid can hinge on the modest 3v'ers, all places will be up for grabs!
MEN’S FRESHMEN EIGHT
Based off all of this spring’s results, the Cal freshmen should be able to pull out a win and are the best shot at breaking up Washington sweep of the men’s events (if UW wins the V8 of course!) Cal won the dual by six seconds in their only meeting thus far and is unbeaten in the event. Oregon State is seeded third, but the lineup that Stanford ends up racing in its Varsity eight could have impact in the freshmen eight. If Hack races down, how much faster does that make their frosh?
WOMEN’S NOVICE EIGHT
Usually the most difficult race to predict at the regatta, the Women’s Novice eight should be a close race. Cal’s win over Crew Classic winner Washington makes it the favorite, but Washington State and UCLA have also been improving quickly so it could be anyone’s race. The wildcard in this race is how many novices get pulled up to Varsity boats for the Pac-10’s and how well the remaining crews can gel and execute on race day.
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