GOLD RIVER, Calif. – Washington's men's rowing team saw a streak of six consecutive Pac-12 championships broken and the UW women finished in third place as California won the men's and women's conference titles Sunday on Lake Natoma.

The Husky men won Pac-12 championships in the third varsity eight and the varsity four, but finished second to the Bears in the varsity, second varsity and freshman races, as well as in the overall points standings. The UW women won the title in the third varsity eight race, but took second in second varsity eight and the varsity four and fourth in the varsity eight, finishing in third place overall.

In the final points standings, Cal won the men's title with 72 total points. Washington was second with 65, followed by Stanford (52), Oregon State (47), Washington State (35), Colorado (32) and Oregon (8).

In the women's final standings, California won with 45, followed by Stanford (35), Washington (33.5), Washington State (22.5), USC (22), UCLA (15.5) and Oregon State (8).

"I'm not discouraged by the performance today," said UW interim women's head coach Conor Bullis. "It wasn't the result that we wanted, but I'm confident that we can put together pieces for the NCAA Championships.

"Today was not our peak performance," Bullis continued. "We didn't hit the numbers that we've been hitting in practice. But I'm proud of the 3V. They did a great job and they ended their season with a win."

Women's NCAA selections will be announced on Tuesday.

Men's Varsity 8+
California took the early lead in the final race of the day. The Bears led by five seats as early as 250 meters in and slowly built on that lead throughout the middle portion of the race, fending off a late Washington challenge for the win. Leading by as much as a length in the final half of the race, Cal finished about five seats in front of Washington to clinch the conference title. The Bears' time was 5:39.8 while Washington finished in 5:41.9.

Women's Varsity 8+
In the women's varsity eight, it was a four-boat race through the first half, though Stanford took the early lead over Cal, with USC and Washington battling for third and fourth. After the halfway mark, the Bears made a move to pass Stanford while the Trojans and Huskies continued to vie for third. USC narrowly edged the Huskies at the line by the smallest of margins for the bronze. Cal won the race and earned the overall Pac-12 title with a time of 6:22.0. Stanford was second in 6:22.8. USC's time of 6:29.7 was just a tenth of a second ahead of Washington's 6:29.8

Men's Second Varsity 8+
California took the lead early in the men's second varsity race, extending a four-seat lead at 500 meters to a boat length at 1,000. The Bears won the race by a boat length in a time of 5:48.0. Washington was second in 5:52.3.

Women's Second Varsity 8+
The Husky women took the lead through first portion of the second varsity eight race, moving in front by as many as four seats in the early-going. But California cut the lead to two seats by the 1,000-meter mark, moved ahead of the UW before the final 500 and held on to win by a boat-length. Cal posted a time of 6:26.8 while Washington finished in 6:30.6.

Men's Third Varsity 8+
Washington jumped out to the early lead in the 3V8+ and steadily increased it over the 2,000 meters. Stroked by Eric Benca and coxed by Emmiline Nordale, the UW 3V won the Pac-12 title with a time of 5:51.9, a little more than two boat-lengths ahead of the Golden Bears (5:58.0) in second place.

Women's Varsity 4+
Washington and California battled throughout the women's varsity four race, with the Golden Bears taking an early lead. By the halfway mark, the Huskies had drawn nearly even, but Cal pulled away in the second half of the race to earn the win. The Bears' time was 7:04.7 while the UW crossed the line in 7:08.8.

Men's Novice (Freshman) 8+
California got out to the early lead in the freshman race, going in front by six seats at the 750-meter line. At 1,000 meters, however, the Huskies made a move to close that gap, narrowing the Bears' lead to two seats going into the final 500. At the finish line, race officials needed to use a photo to sort out the winner. In the end, Cal edged out the UW by less than seven one-hundredths of a second, winning in a time of 5:42.46 to Washington's 5:42.53.

Women's Third Varsity 8+
In the first women's race of the morning, Washington went out to an early lead over Cal. By 500 meters, the Huskies were in front of second-place Cal by five seats and, by 1,000, they'd stretched it to open water, which they held until the finish. With Anna Porteous rowing in the stroke seat, the Huskies beat Cal by two boat-lengths with a time of 6:30.6. Cal was second in 6:37.4.

Men's Varsity 4+
Washington opened the day's racing with a win in the men's Varsity 4+. The Huskies, stroked by Philip Walczak, led from the start, taking a four-seat lead after just 250 meters and stretching that to an open-water edge by the halfway mark. The UW boat won the title about two boat-lengths ahead of California in a time of 6:26.2. Cal (6:31.0) finished second with Oregon and WSU taking third and fourth place.


The Washington women next head to the NCAA Championships, which will also be held on Lake Natoma. The NCAAs take place May 27-29. The Husky men will have nearly three weeks to prepare to defend their five consecutive Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships. This year's IRAs are June 3-5 on Lake Mercer in West Windsor, N.J.


Follow Washington Rowing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UW_Rowing for updates and information.

About Washington Rowing
Rowing at University of Washington was established in 1901 with support from the local business community. In 1903, Washington entered its first intercollegiate race and defeated California, starting their storied “Cal Dual” rivalry. From this beginning, UW crews became the champions in the nation, winning the Gold Medal in the Olympics in 1936 as described in the New York Times bestseller The Boys in the Boat. UW has continued its tradition of winning championships and Olympic medals, and today is one of the best university rowing programs in the world. With its state-of-the-art training facility located on the UW campus right on the shores of Lake Washington, surrounded by mountains and in close proximity to the iconic Montlake Cut, Washington Rowing attracts the best men and women student-athletes from the Pacific Northwest and around the world. More information at GoHuskies.com, WashingtonRowing.com and @UW_Rowing.