Cal Men's Rowing Wins National Championship, Secures Cal's 100th Championship
WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – The varsity eight entered Sunday's Grand Final with an undefeated record this spring, and with 1,000 meters to go at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championship, the Cal men's rowing team's hard work was showing signs of a hard-fought victory.
With the win, the Bears secured the program's 18th national championship and 100th national title overall for Cal Athletics.
The Varsity Challenge Cup was not the only hardware Cal took home. The Bears' second varsity eight won silver in the Kennedy Cup in a thrilling comeback. The third varsity eight finished fifth.
"Really proud of how the guys raced today," said head coach Scott Frandsen. "A full team effort leading to the varsity being able to really have their best race of the year and represent the team and win. They executed their race perfectly, really happy for those nine guys and the full 60 guys on the team. This has been the goal all year and the guys did it."
Like it did all season, the V8+ got off to a fast start. The top four boats of Cal, Yale, Washington, and Brown separated themselves from the remainder of the field in the first 100 meters. By the 500-meter mark, the Bears had a two-seat advantage on the Bulldogs. By the 1,000-meter mark, the Bears and Bulldogs pulled away from the rest of the field, with Cal extending its lead over Yale.
The Bears' championship boat, led by Pac-12 Male Athlete of the Year Ollie Maclean, Newcomer of the Year Gennaro di Mauro as well as all-conference honorees Elliott Kemp, Angus Dawson, and Campbell Crouch, defeated a Yale boat that featured three Olympians by over two seconds, finishing with a time of 5:44.239.
Cal took home the Varsity Challenge Cup for the first time since 2016. The Bears also won national championships in 1928, '32, '34, '35, '39, '49, '60, '61, '64, '76, '99, '00, '01, '02, '06, and '10. It is also believed to be the first undefeated season for the V8+ since 2001 when Frandsen was in the boat for the Bears.
In the battle for the Stewards Cup, Yale, Harvard, and Washington took the early lead. The Bears began their move over the final 1,000 meters to try to chase down Dartmouth and Washington for a place on the podium but ran out of race track to take fifth with a time of 6:11.513.
In the final for the Kennedy Cup, the 2V8+ was tremendous. The Bears opened the race in the lead pack but sat in fifth behind leaders Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, and Washington. At the 1,000-meter mark, Cal began its charge, moving into third and closing fast. Over the final 100 meters, the Bears took control of second and held off Dartmouth, capturing silver by over three seconds with a time of 5:54.052.
Sunday's Results
V8+ Results
1. California - 5:44.239
2. Yale - 5:46.339
3. Brown - 5:49.133
4. Washington - 5:52.365
5. Syracuse - 5:53.007
6. Harvard - 5:56.147
JV8+ Results
1. Yale - 5:51.958
2. California - 5:54.052
3. Dartmouth - 5:57.286
4. Washington - 5:58.264
5. Brown - 6:01.430
6. Princeton - 6:04.758
3V8+ Results
1. Yale - 5:54.771
2. Harvard - 5:57.717
3. Washington - 6:03.539
4. Dartmouth - 6:06.689
5. California - 6:11.513
6. Brown - 6:15.454
Sunday's Lineups
Varsity 8+
Luca Vieira (cox)
Iwan Hadfield (stroke)
Elliott Kemp
Tim Roth
Ollie Maclean
Gennaro di Mauro
Angus Dawson
Frederik Breuer
Campbell Crouch (bow)
JV8+
James French (cox)
Tommy Barrell (stroke)
Fred Roper
Olav Molenaar
Christoph Seifriedsberger
Balthasar Issa
Daton Wolfaardt
Michael Chandler
Wilson Morton (bow)
3V8+
Illiad Izadi (cox)
Tyler Kurth (stroke)
Farley Dimond-Brown
Spencer Dettlinger
Adam Stephenson
Jamie Arnold
Alex Langstone Bolt
Harry Cox
Josh Anderson (bow)