University of Washington
NCAA Championships
Huskies Advance All Three Boats To NCAA Semifinals
May 29, 2015 | Women's Rowing
GOLD RIVER, Calif. – UW women's crew had all three of its boats advance to the semifinals on a productive first day at the NCAA Championships on Lake Natoma, highlighted by a photo-finish victory for the Huskies in the fourth heat of the varsity eight.
“We did exactly what we needed to do today in getting all the boats straight to the semifinals,” UW women's head coach Bob Ernst said. “It was a good day. The varsity and second varsity had outstanding races today and they did exactly what they needed to do.”
Coming in as the No. 5-seeded varsity eight, the Huskies were in the fourth heat of the day against fourth-seeded Brown, the highest seeded crew in the heat. UW women's crew got out to a great start, seizing an early lead that extended to nearly a length at one point. Both Brown and Texas charged late and pushed the Huskies to the very end, but UW held them off and won the heat by less than two-hundredths of a second. Texas took second and Brown ended in third.
The Huskies' second varsity eight entered the NCAA Championships as the top-seeded second varsity boat in the country. UW led from start to finish and won by five seats with a time of 6:36.13. The UW second varsity has yet to lose this season, including a dominant performance at the Pac-12 Championships.
The varsity four also entered as the No. 1 varsity four in the country. The Huskies took an early lead but fell to Princeton as the Tigers used an early move and held off UW to take first. Ultimately the Huskies accomplished their goal of advancing to the semifinals.
“They are a really determined bunch of athletes,” Ernst said. “How many races we've won or lost this year won't mean much come tomorrow. It all comes down to another day of racing tomorrow. This is why people come to the University of Washington to row – they want to be in the big ones and have a shot at the highest accomplishments.”
With all three crews finishing in the top-two of their heats, all Husky boats will automatically advance to the semifinals and avoid the repechage. The varsity eight will race start the day for the Huskies in the second semifinal at 9 a.m. PT. The second varsity will race in its semifinal at 9:30 a.m. PT. The varsity four will begin its semifinal at 10:10 a.m. PT.
“You take this regatta one day at a time,” Ernst said. “Tomorrow our goal will be to advance each of our boats to the finals. One day at a time, one goal at a time. We're keeping it simple.”
Live stats and live streaming will be made available to follow all semifinal races. For updates throughout the competition, follow the Huskies on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @UWHuskyCrew.
RESULTS
Women's Varsity 8+
Heat 4: 1, UW, 6:26.026; 2, Texas, 6:26.043; 3, Brown, 6:26.690; 4, Harvard, 6:44.123; 5, UMass, 6:58.226
Women's Second Varsity 8
Heat 1: 1, UW, 6:36.134; 2, Stanford, 6:38.546; 3, Indiana, 6:42.934; 4, Harvard, 6:47.781; 5, Gonzaga, 7:00.589
Varsity 4
Heat 1: 1, Princeton, 7:22.523; 2, UW, 7:24.705; 3, Michigan, 7:29.683; 4, Indiana, 7:35.797; 5, Gonzaga, 7:41.485
Day 2 Race Schedule
Varsity 8 – Semifinal – 9 a.m. PT
Second Varsity 8 – Semifinal – 9:30 a.m. PT
Varsity 4 – Semifinal – 10:20 a.m. PT
