Zach Franzen
Bears win three races on Saturday morning.
Huskies Retain Schoch Cup, Cal Wins 3V8+, 4V8+, Freshmen 8+
REDWOOD SHORES – The No. 2 California men’s rowing team saw its varsity eight take its first loss of the season to No. 1 Washington in the 114th edition of the annual rivalry dual between the two programs. In addition to retaining the Schoch Cup, the Huskies won the 2V8+ while the Golden Bears notched three race wins in the 3V8+, 4V8+ and the freshmen eight.
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The fourth varsity eight got the Bears rolling in the first head-to-head race of the morning in Redwood Shores. Cal pulled ahead from the start and took about a six-seat lead at the 500-meter mark. Washington attempted to cut the deficit, but the Bears responded well will a surge that moved them ahead about half a boat length. They maintained the advantage down the stretch to finish the course in 5:57.2, with Washington behind in 6:01.1.
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The freshmen kept the momentum going with a commanding win over the Huskies in the second race of the day. The young crew came out strong and took an open-water lead at the halfway point as it approached the bridge. The freshmen eight continued to storm down the stretch and easily handled the Huskies’ novice crew, finishing in 5:56.0 ahead of Washington in 6:11.5.
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Things started to heat up in the third varsity eight race, with only .3 seconds the difference between the two teams in the end. It was neck-and-neck through the first half of the race as the crews pushed away from the starting point. The Bears made a move to try and pull forward in the third 500 meters, but Washington responded well to keep the boats level as the final stretch commenced. It was stroke-for-stroke as they approached the finish line, but the Bears pulled off the win with a time of 5:48.4, barely edging the Huskies with a time of 5:48.7.
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In the 2V8+ race, Washington pulled ahead from the start and had a slight advantage at the 1000-meter mark, with the boats overlapping as they passed under the bridge. Cal began to charge and cut the deficit to only two seats in the third 500 meters, but it was not enough to outdistance the Huskies in the end, with Washington finishing in 5:48.4 ahead of Cal in 5:51.4.
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The battle of the varsity eights for the coveted Schoch Cup was full of excitement. The Bears came out hot, pulling ahead to an early advantage. Washington evened things out and the two crews were stroke-for-stroke at the 500-meter mark. Washington began to gain momentum and took a four-seat lead as the midway point of the course approached. The Bears responded with a strong charge, leveling things out in the third 500 meters of the race. Washington created about two seats of separation as the final 500 meters commenced, but Cal lifted its rate to try and cut the advantage. Despite the effort, it was not enough in the end, with Washington winning by just over one second in 5:37.2 to Cal’s 5:38.6 final time.
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“I think all of the crews raced really well. I’m pleased with the results of the 3V8+, 4V8+ and freshmen races,” Cal head coach Scott Frandsen said. Â “I’m proud of the effort and the execution of the top two boats. I think our top two boats, while not getting the result we wanted, showed that they are in the hunt for the national championship. We can take this adversity and get stronger and faster as the spring unfolds.”
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Cal and Washington were joined by some top women’s crews on the course this morning, with No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 Texas competing in a dual.
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“Today was a great showcase of collegiate rowing with the top two men’s and top two women’s programs on the water,” Frandsen added. “It was a great display of speed on both the men’s and the women’s side, and it was great to be a part of.”
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Cal will return to Redwood Shores next weekend for The Big Row, as the Bears take on Stanford in a dual to close out the regular season.
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RESULTS
V8+
1. Washington – 5:37.2
2. Cal – 5:38.6
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2V8+
1. Washington – 5:48.4
2. Cal – 5:51.4
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3V8+
1. Cal – 5:48.4
2. Washington 0 5:48.7
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4V8+
1. Cal – 5:57.2
2. Washington – 6:01.1
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Freshmen 8+
1. Cal – 5:56.0
2. Washington – 6:11.5
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LINEUPS
V8+
Coxswain: Michael Kain
8. Nemanja Luledzija
7. Tobias Kristensen
6. Pablo Moreno
5. Alexander Baroni
4. Gennaro di Mauro
3. Noah Anger
2. Maximilian Pfautsch
1. Tom O’Sullivan
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2V8+
Coxswain: Ethan Nghiem
8. Leo Rosenquist
7. Rory Menzies
6. Xavier Gagnon
5. Matthew Waddell
4. Tim Roth
3. Josh Knight
2. Osian James
1. Jeremy Beale
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3V8+
Coxswain: Austin Chen
8. Mihajlo Dedic
7. Flynn English
6. Dan Bradbery
5. Nat Gauden
4. Evan Gold
3. Leo Shetler
2. Thomas Heerding
1. James O’Meara
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4V8+
Coxswain: Jake Bazulto
8. Travis Jorgensen
7. Peter Spira
6. Johannes Benien
5. Tomba Morreau
4. Andreas Simoni
3. Alec Wild
2. Thomas Barbey
1. Chris Weiss
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Freshmen 8+
Coxswain: Mackenzie Fox
8. Alex Monissen
7. Kyle Brown
6. Eddie Bayfield
5. Lucas Salazar
4. William McClean
3. Peter Fetter
2. Nicolas Leach
1. Forrester Clark IV Â
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STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal men’s rowing, follow the Bears on X (@CalMrowing), Instagram (@calmrowing) and Facebook (Cal Crew).
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