Brown University
NCAA Championships
5/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Crew
GOLD RIVER, Calif. – Brown University women's crew advanced all three of its boats to the A/B semifinals, and the second varsity eight and varsity four each won its heat on the first day of the 2015 NCAA Division I Women's Rowing Championships at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center on Friday.
The Bears, making their 19th straight appearance in the NCAA Championships and seeking their eighth national title, advanced the second varsity eight and the varsity four directly to Saturday morning's A/B semifinals with their victories in the heats while the varsity eight qualified for the A/B semifinals with a win in its repechage race.
Brown's first varsity eight will open the crew's racing tomorrow in a semifinal at 9 a.m. PT out of lane five vs. Ohio State, Washington, Princeton, Stanford, and Radcliffe. The second varsity eight will race at 9:40 a.m. in lane two vs. Washington St., Yale, Stanford, Indiana, and Virginia. The varsity four will compete at 10:20 a.m. out of lane one vs. Virginia, Washington, Washington St., Stanford, and Texas.
In its afternoon repechage, the Bears' fourth-seeded first varsity eight won with a time of 6:26.862 a half-length and 1.400 seconds ahead of 10th-seeded Indiana (6:28.262). Brown also edged 17th-seeded Gonzaga (6:35.347), 14th-seeded Notre Dame (6:37.327), 18th-seeded UCF (6:47.122), 19th-seeded Northeastern (6:47.913), and 21st-seeded Navy (7:01.630).
The first varsity eight came in third in a photo finish in Brown's first race of the day as .664 seconds separated first through third place. The fourth-seeded Bears clocked in at 6:26.690 while fifth-seeded Washington won the race with a time of 6:26.026, and 12th-seeded Texas came in second with a time of 6:26.043. In the heat, Brown defeated 13th-seeded Radcliffe (6:44.123), 20th-seeded Massachusetts (6:58.226), and 21st-seeded Navy (7:05.206).
Brown's third-seeded second varsity eight captured first place in its heat behind a time of 6:30.271, the fastest time of any 2V8 boat in the heats, outpacing sixth-seeded Ohio State (6:32.995) by 2.724 seconds and 11th-seeded Wisconsin (6:45.631) by 15.360 seconds. The Bears also topped 14th-seeded Princeton (6:49.717), 19th-seeded Northeastern (6:56.938), and 22nd-seeded Jacksonville (7:33.547).
The Bears' second-seeded varsity four claimed first in its race with a time of 7:21.195, finishing 7.139 seconds ahead of seventh-seeded California. Brown also beat 10th-seeded Texas (7:34.752), 15th-seeded Radcliffe (7:46.062), and 18th-seeded Massachusetts (8:00.531).
Brown Schedule/Results
Friday (18-2)
9:40 a.m. – I Eights – Heat 4, Lane 1 – Third Place (3-2) – 6:26.690
10:10 a.m. – II Eights – Heat 3, Lane 1 – First Place (5-0) – 6:30.271
10:40 a.m. – Fours – Heat 2, Lane 1 – First Place (4-0) – 7:21.195
4:00 p.m. – I Eights – Repechage 2, Lane 2 – First Place (6-0) – 6:26.862
Saturday
9:00 a.m. – I Eights – A/B Semifinal 2, Lane 5
9:40 a.m. – II Eights – A/B Semifinal 2, Lane 2
10:20 a.m. – Fours – A/B Semifinal 2, Lane 1
Brown Friday Race Results
First Varsity Eight – Heat 4
1. Washington – 6:26.026
2. Texas – 6:26.043
3. Brown – 6:26.690
4. Radcliffe – 6:44.123
5. Massachusetts – 6:58.226
6. Navy – 7:05.206
Second Varsity Eight – Heat 3
1. Brown – 6:30.271
2. Ohio State – 6:32.995
3. Wisconsin – 6:45.631
4. Princeton – 6:49.717
5. Northeastern – 6:56.938
6. Navy – 7:11.935
Varsity Four – Heat 2
1. Brown – 7:21.195
2. California – 7:28.334
3. Texas – 7:34.752
4. Radcliffe – 7:46.062
5. Massachusetts – 8:00.531
First Varsity Eight – Repechage 2
1. Brown – 6:26.862
2. Indiana – 6:28.262
3. Gonzaga – 6:35.347
4. Notre Dame – 6:37.327
5. UCF – 6:47.122
6. Northeastern – 6:47.913
Race Notes
Brown, the top-ranked crew in the latest CRCA Coaches Poll, raced against 10 other crews ranked in the poll on the day – No. 2 California, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 5 Washington, No. 10 Princeton, No. 11 Texas, No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 13 Radcliffe, No. 14 Indiana, No. 16 Notre Dame, and No. 19 Gonzaga … Brown's first varsity eight's time of 6:26.690 was the sixth-fastest time in the 1V8 heats and would have stood as a top-two time in any of the other three heats … The second varsity eight improved its record to 26-1 overall and 10-1 at Lake Natoma … The varsity four bettered its record to 26-0 overall and 10-0 at Lake Natoma … The first varsity eight moved its record to 29-4 overall and 13-4 at Lake Natoma … Brown's 1V8 and V4 each improved to 4-0 vs. Radcliffe this year; the 2V8 moved to 3-0 vs. Princeton.
