Cal Crew Could Make it Three Straight Conference Crowns

Over the past few seasons the term Pac-10 champion could not be uttered in collegiate rowing without first mentioning the Cal men’s crew.

The two phrases seemed to have become synonymous as the Bears have won seven of the last nine conference titles.

No. 3 Cal will be looking for its third straight Pac-10 crown this Sunday at the Pac-10 Championships in Rancho Cordova, Calif.

The varsity eight race will also feature No. 1 Washington, No. 6 Stanford, No. 18 Oregon State, UCLA, USC and Washington State.

The Bears know competition will be stiff having lost to both the Cardinal and the Huskies this season.

“Any of them are capable (of winning) this Sunday,” coach Steve Gladstone said. “I think the crew that puts together the best race will be the crew that wins.”

Cal’s varsity eight did not look their best against Washington two weeks ago, losing by 3.6 seconds.

The Huskies appear to be the favorite in this year’s race, and they are the only crew other than Cal to claim the title in the past decade, winning the crown in in 1997, 2003 and 2004.

However, the Bears feel confidant going into this weekend, having had almost two weeks to train for the event.

“We can just drill our technique and get really cohesive,” junior Max Wyatt said. “A lot happens in two weeks—you can gain a fair amount of speed.”

The varsity eight boat will be fielding a new lineup as well, replacing senior Justin Ishida with sophomore Janis Fontein.

“It is kind of a bummer,” Ishida said. “The fact that I am not going to be able to race (with varsity) is frustrating.”

Nevertheless, the oarsman is optimistic and knows the crew needs his support.

“Janis is a great rower—he knows what is going on,” Ishida said.

In last year’s conference championships, Cal beat out Stanford by 3.3 seconds while Washington and the Beavers finished third and fourth, respectively.

The Bears will also compete in the varsity four, second varsity eight, and freshman eight events.

Cal’s freshman crew, which has won four straight Pac-10 titles, is undefeated this year.

The Bears’ young guns will have to watch out for the Huskies as well this weekend though. Cal’s freshman eight had its closest race of the year against Washington, winning by 2.4 seconds.

“I think the basics are the key,” freshman coach Geoff Bond said. “We have done the work in terms of the hard work and training.”

Races will begin at 8:20 a.m. The varsity eight race is scheduled to start at 3:50 p.m.

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