May 26, 2012

West Windsor, N.J. - UCLA's second varsity eight crew finished in third place in their semifinal heat and earned a spot in tomorrow's Grand Final race at the NCAA Championships in West Windsor, N.J.

The second varsity eight posted a time of 6:35.06 to earn a third place finish after they finished in second place in Friday's preliminary heat. This is the first time in program history that the Bruins have sent a boat to a Grand Final race at the NCAA Championships. UCLA finished behind Michigan and Ohio State in the second semifinal heat, with the Wolverines clocking in at 6:29.71 and the Buckeyes finishing in 6:33.28. The Bruins bested fourth place Yale, who posted a time of 6:36.16, and Pac-12 foes Stanford (6:37.99) and Washington (6:41.46).

UCLA's varsity eight boat finished fourth in their semifinal heat and will compete in the Petite Final tomorrow morning. The Bruins finished the race with a time of 6:20.80. Michigan won the semifinal heat by finishing with a time of 6:15.20. Princeton took home second place after clocking in at 6:17.40 while Washington earned third place with a time of 6:18.30. UCLA finished ahead of Ohio State, who posted a time of 6:22.30, and Yale, who came in with a time of 6:26.80.

The Bruins' varsity four boat also finished in fourth place in their semifinal heat after finishing the race in 7:14.45. Like the varsity eight, they will compete in the Petite Final tomorrow. Ohio State won the semifinal heat with a time of 7:05.52. Virginia earned second place after posting a time of 7:10.70 while Princeton came in third with a time of 7:12.43. The Bruins bested Wisconsin and Cornell in the semifinal race, with Badgers posting a mark of 7:17.43 and the Big Red finishing with a time of 7:25.09.

As mentioned above, the second varsity eight will compete in Sunday's Grand Final (places 1-6) race at 8:15 am PT against Ohio State, California, Michigan, Princeton and Virginia. The varsity eight and varsity four will each compete in Sunday's Petite Final (places 7-12). The varsity eight will race at 8:45 am PT against Ohio State, Cornell, Harvard, Stanford and Yale while the varsity four will race at 7:05 am PT against Notre Dame, Cornell, Harvard, Wisconsin and Michigan. Fans at home can watch a live webcast of the events here and can find results of the races here.

Fans can also get updates live via twitter @LakeMercerRow.

To view photos from Day 1 of the NCAA Championship, click here.

Saturday's Semifinals Results

Varsity Eight - Heat 2
1. Michigan - 6:15.20
2. Princeton - 6:17.40
3. Washington - 6:18.30
4. UCLA - 6:20.80
5. Ohio State - 6:22.30
6. Yale - 6:26.80

Second Varsity Eight - Heat 2
1. Michigan - 6:29.71
2. Ohio State - 6:33.28
3. UCLA - 6:35.06
4. Yale - 6:36.16
5. Stanford - 6:37.99
6. Washington - 6:41.46

Varsity Four - Heat 2
1. Ohio State - 7:05.52
2. Virginia - 7:10.70
3. Princeton - 7:12.43
4. UCLA - 7:14.45
5. Wisconsin - 7:17.43
6. Cornell - 7:25.09

UCLA's Rowing Lineups (NCAA Championships)

Varsity 8+: (Stroke) Natalie Pettee, (7) Britta Syverson, (6) Kat Lauer, (5) Mariko Snyder, (4) Erin Wenzel, (3) Nicole Sung-Jereczek, (2) Anastasia Alexander, (1) Kirstin Snook, (Coxswain) Mia Hamano

Second Varsity 8+: (Stroke) Carolina Paini, (7) Alexa Farafontoff, (6) Allison Doran, (5) Hillary Caldwell, (4) Alex Caniglia, (3) Cathy Stolitzka, (2) Jessica McGuire, (1) Deanna Wong, (Coxswain) Ariel Handler

Varsity 4+: (Stroke) Alexis McPhee, (3) Tamar Schaap, (2) Victoria Babson, (1) Erica Lockard, (Coxswain) Chloe Kojima