REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. – In the 91st renewal of the Big Row duel between Stanford and California, it was the Bears with twin victories on Saturday.
On a windy overcast morning on the Belmont Channel/Redwood Shores Lagoon course the doubles as the home venue for both teams, No. 2 Cal was able to win the first and second varsity eights over the No. 6 Cardinal by more than nine seconds in each race.
Cal retains possession of the Schwabacher Cup, which is awarded to the winner of the 1V8+ race.
“Credit to Cal for an impressive performance today,” said Ted Sobolewski, Stanford’s Farwell Family Director of Men’s Rowing. “We’ve worked hard this year to get ourselves back into this rivalry, and it’s tough to walk away knowing we’re not there yet.
“At the same time, I have perspective on where this team is in our build, and I’m proud of the way the guys have handled a challenging couple of weeks since we last raced.
“We’ve had three athletes from our varsity, including our stern pair, out nursing injuries, and we don’t quite have the depth yet program-wide to absorb that at the top end. With that said, we had a number of guys step up into big roles today, and we learned a lot in the process.
“I anticipate we’ll be back at full strength for the MPSF and run-up to the IRA.”
The regular season comes to a close with the Stanford 1V8+ boat finishing with a 7-3 record in duals, and the 2V8+ at 6-4.
Stanford next competes at its first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships, on May 17-18 on Lake Natoma in Gold River.
The IRA Championships are May 30-June 1 in Pennsauken, New Jersey.
Stanford vs. California
At Belmont Channel/Redwood Shores Lagoon
1V8+ -- 1, Cal 5:52.2; 2, Stanford 6:02.1.
2V8+ -- 1, Cal 5:58.2; 2, Stanford 6:07.4.
Stanford lineups vs. Cal
1V8+
C: Kannan Alford
8: James Fetter
7: Adrien Richez
6: Sandro Scalfi
5: Luke Smith
4: Max Shakespeare
3: Maxim Ericson
2: Gabriel George
1: Philip Wolfensberger
2V8+
C: Gabrielle Zammit
8: Arthur Scott
7: Hylton Harvey
6: Charlie Vachris
5: Caspar Griffin
4: Andrew Orio
3: Theo Herzog
2: Callen Berwick
1: Leopold Hainlein