Washington women advance two boats to Grand Finals | NCAA Crew

WEST WINDSOR, N.J. ? Washington placed two boats in the Grand Finals of the NCAA Championships on Saturday, a significant achievement for the program as it seeks a return to national prominence.

The Huskies secured entries for the varsity eight and the varsity four at Saturday's semifinals on Lake Mercer's 2,000-meter course.

It is the first time since 2008 the varsity eight has reached the Grand Final of the NCAAs. The boat advanced out of a brutal semifinal grouping, which saw the Huskies paired with Michigan, Princeton, UCLA, Yale and Ohio State. Only the top three boats move on and the message UW coach Bob Ernst delivered before the race reflected its importance: Sunday matters little if you don't race at your best today.

"The game now is to get on the podium," Ernst said. "We'll see what everyone brings (on Sunday). I'm looking forward to it."

At the start of the V8 race, few teams could match the Wolverines' punishing pace. But the Huskies remained in contact with Michigan, as well as second-place Princeton. Those positions held firm until the 1,250-meter mark as the Huskies began to take seats from the Tigers, while managing to push away from UCLA. Ohio State, which won its heat on Friday, was faltering in fifth. With 250 meters to go, the Huskies thwarted a late move by the Bruins and crossed the line third overall, finishing in 6 minutes, 18.30 seconds.

Joining the Huskies in the Grand Final will be Michigan, Princeton, Virginia, California and USC. Making the Grand Final with the flagship boat was considered a critical goal coming into the race.

While the varsity's eight spot was relatively secure, the same couldn't be said for the varsity four.

Washington's time of 7:11.25 was shade in front of Harvard's (7:12.16) for the last spot in the Grand Finals.

"It's a character check. How deep are you willing to go, and how much (pain) can you tolerate?" Ernst said. "It's important to the program to see results like that."

Note

? Both Western Washington shells qualified for the Division II grand finals with the four placing first and the eight second in repechage heats.

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