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May 29, 2016

GOLD RIVER, Calif. – Virginia rowed to a third-place finish in the team standings at the NCAA Championships Sunday (May 29) on Lake Natoma in Gold River, Calif.

Virginia’s Varsity Four highlighted the final-day action with a third-place finish, while the Second Varsity Eight placed fourth and the Varsity Eight finished fifth.

The Cavaliers finished third with 112 points, behind champion California (129) and runner-up Ohio State (126). Stanford finished fourth with 107 points and Washington placed fifth with 106 points. Cal ended Ohio State’s three-year reign as national champions by winning two of the three grand final races.

UVA’s third-place finish is its best since claiming the national title in 2012. The podium finish also marked Virginia’s 11th top-four finish at the national championships. The Cavaliers finished fifth in each of their last three NCAA regattas.

“We were striving for first obviously, but as things played out over the weekend we knew this championship was going to be pretty competitive,” UVA head coach Kevin Sauer said. “We were reaching for the stars, but I’m very proud of the team and how they handled themselves throughout the weekend. We got better each day, rose to the challenges and did a fantastic job.”

The UVA Varsity Four finished third behind Cal (7:08.410) and Washington (7:09.203) with a time of 7:12.071. Stanford (7:14.757), Ohio State (7:15.086) and Michigan (7:16.876) rounded out the top six. The Cavalier V4 boat, which consisted of sophomore coxswain Rachel Dick (Bethesda, Md.), junior stroke Karen Schulte (Trout Run, Pa.), junior three-Seat Taylor Leonard (Arlington, Va.), sophomore two-seat Morgan Rosts (Jordan, Ontario) and junior bow Jo Gurman (Weston, Conn.), earned its third consecutive top-three finish at the championships.

“It’s an absolutely phenomenal feeling,” Schulte said. “I feel honored each and every day to be a part of this team. The culture this team has had this year is better than anything I’ve been a part of before. I couldn’t be prouder of the way the four, 1V and 2V raced today, and the whole weekend.”

In the Second Varsity Eight, UVA rowed a strong race to finish fourth at 6:33.661. Cal edged Ohio State 6:28.064-6:28.090 for the win. Washington finished third at 6:30.551 followed by Virginia, Texas (6:35.285) and Princeton (6:41.308).

In the Varsity Eight, the Cavaliers placed fifth in a time of 6:23.308. Ohio State (6:19.035) topped Cal (6:21.11) for the national title. Stanford (6:22.167) finished third, Brown (6:22.186) was fourth and Princeton (6:26.106) finished sixth.

Virginia Lineups — Sunday, May 29, 2016
Varsity Eight
Coxswain: Colette Lucas-Conwell; Stroke: Tessa Dikkers; 7-Seat: Georgia Ratcliff; 6-Seat: Eliza Spilsbury; 5-Seat: Heidi Long; 4-Seat: Erin Briggs; 3-Seat: Jennifer Reid; 2-Seat: Alice Darry; Bow: Sam Casto

Second Varsity Eight
Coxswain: Izzi Weiss; Stroke: Ellen Pate; 7-Seat: Marijane Brennan; 6-Seat: Allie Nicholson; 5-Seat: Jane Hudson; 4-Seat: Maxime Lubbers; 3-Seat: Chelsea Adams; 2-Seat: Mackenzi Sherman; Bow: Hannah Solis-Cohen

Varsity Four
Coxswain: Rachel Dick; Stroke: Karen Schulte; 3-Seat: Taylor Leonard; 2-Seat: Morgan Rosts; Bow: Jo Gurman

Final Team Standings
1. California – 129
2. Ohio State – 126
3. Virginia – 112
4. Stanford – 107
5. Washington – 106
6. Brown – 102
7. Princeton – 100
8. Texas – 98
9. Wisconsin – 80
10. Michigan – 75

Varsity Four Grand Final
1. California, 7:08.410; 2. Washington, 7:09.203; 3. Virginia, 7:12.071; 4. Stanford, 7:14.757; 5. Ohio State, 7:15.086; 6. Michigan, 7:16.876.

Second Varsity Eight Grand Final
1. California, 6:28.064; 2. Ohio State, 6:28.090; 3. Washington, 6:30.551; 4. Virginia, 6:33.662; 5. Texas, 6:35.285; 6. Princeton, 6:41.308.

Varsity Eight Grand Final
1. Ohio State, 6:19.035; 2. California, 6:21.111; 3. Stanford, 6:22.167; 4. Brown, 6:22.186; 5. Virginia, 6:23.308; 6. Princeton, 6:26.106.