California, here we come! For the first time since 2011, the NCAA Championships are heading back west to Lake Natoma at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center. The racing will take place from Friday, May 29th – Sunday, May 31st with DIII championships taking place on Saturday, and the finals for DI and DII occurring on Sunday morning.
After the adventures and misadventures of the past couple years, all are hoping for a bit of flat water and clear lanes for racing on Natoma. If you're making your way out west for the championships, the desert of Sacramento promises hot, sunny days, but cooler mornings and evenings, so make sure to pack a sweatshirt along with that Costco-sized bottle of sunscreen!
Division I
It's the third year with the increased field size for Division I rowing in which 11 teams qualify through automatic qualifier regattas and another 11 are selected for at-large bids. Each of the DI teams will field a V8, 2V8 and V4, chasing points to bring them to the top of the team championship podium. In addition to a large number of frequent NCAA flyers, Texas and University of Central Florida are making their first ever NCAA appearances.
After two consecutive wins, Ohio State will be back with momentum going into this year's regatta. The varsity eight, which has been undefeated for two seasons, is looking to continue their streak in California to help bring their team a third consecutive win. If they can clinch the third win, it'll be the first time in NCAA DI history that a program has pulled off a hat trick.
It won't be easy though - after handily beating Stanford and Washington at the Pac-12 Championships on Natoma, the Cal women will have a little extra confidence boost with the top seed in the varsity eight – the only crew that is topping Ohio Sate's undefeated eight. (Top three seeds for the V8 are Cal, Ohio State, then Stanford.)
Another top program entering the championships is Brown, who qualified by sweeping the Ivy League Championships. With 19 NCAA appearances (only Princeton and Washington have joined Brown at every championship since the inception of NCAA rowing) and seven national titles – the highest number of any program – Brown is entering this year with a strong team. All three of the Bruno crews are high seeds – the V8 is 4th, the 2V8 3rd, and the undefeated V4 is seeded 2nd behind Washington.
The crews are seeded largely based on the last race of the season, but with two weeks (and in some cases more) between a crew's last race and the start of the NCAA Championships a lot can happen. It's hard to really discount any of the top teams entering the championship; Washington, Virginia, Stanford, Cal, Brown and Ohio State –all have one (or multiple) V8, 2V8 or V4 crews in the top three seeds.
Divison II
The Division II field is a small, competitive group. The team bids (for a V8 and V4) went to reigning champion Humboldt State, as well as Barry, Central Oklahoma and Mercyhurst. Philadelphia and Nova Southeastern both received at-large bid allowing them to bring one eight to the NCAA champs.
Just a few short weeks ago, all the selected crews raced one another at Dad Vails, with Barry coming out on top in the V8 and V4 events, with Mercyhurst placing second in the V8 and fifth in the V4, while Humboldt State came in third in both the V8 and V4 events.
Division III
The DIII field is like the Goldilocks of NCAA rowing – not as big as DI, not a small as DII – just the right size for an exciting and interesting regatta. Each of the six schools that received a team bid will field a V8 and 2V8 - Washington College, Bates, Wellesley, Trinity, Hamilton and Williams. Puget Sound and Tufts received the at-large bids, and will each bring their varsity eights to the regatta.
After entering the championships as the favorites last year, the Bates varsity eight had a disappointing fourth place finish in the NCAA finals. The Bobcats have oft been referred to as "bridesmaids" for their repeated almost-wins, but after coming back this season with a vengeance, it could be the year they show up to shine at Natoma. Sweeping New Englands and ECAC in the V8, 2V and 3V, Bates has showed its depth this year, but not too far behind are their major competitors – Williams, and 2014 NCAA champs Trinity.
You can bet that all the top crews – DI, DII, and DIII - all have their sights set on the win and have been hammering away, preparing to show up with speed in Sacramento. Since many, if not most, teams are done with finals, the last days before the championships are full-on rowing day; final exams may be over, but there's one more test each of these crews wants not only to complete, but to pass with flying colors – or one color: gold.
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