UW Women Vault to No. 4 in Crew Poll
April 9, 2008
SEATTLE - The Washington women's crew vaulted 13 spots to No. 4 in the NCAA Division I varsity eight coaches poll released Wednesday by USRowing and the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA).
The Huskies' varsity eight earned the lofty ranking on the strength of an impressive performance last weekend at the San Diego Crew Classic. UW entered that regatta ranked No. 17 and defeated four ranked opponents en route to capturing the Jessop-Whittier Cup.
In the grand final, the Huskies trailed by six seats before reeling in then fourth-ranked USC with a strong surge over the final 400 meters. UW edged past the Trojans at the finish line, winning by nine-tenths of a second.
Washington State placed third in San Diego. The Cougars also made a significant jump in the rankings, rising from 15th to No. 8 this week.
Preseason No. 1 California remained in the top spot of the rankings with 17 first-place votes. Yale stayed in the No. 2 position and collected the remaining eight first-place votes. Virginia maintained its No. 3 ranking.
USC is ranked fifth, followed by No. 6 Princeton and No. 7 Michigan State. Tennessee and Stanford round out the top-10 with their No. 9 and No. 10 rankings, respectively.
Washington and WSU finished among the top-three in all three women's races at the Crew Classic. The Huskies won the varsity and junior varsity events and the Cougars were first in the novice race.
Those top-10 ranked cross-state rivals, along with their men's counterparts, will meet, Saturday, April 12 on the Montlake Cut. The first race in the dual regatta is slated for 9 a.m.
USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association
Women's NCAA Division I Varsity Eights Poll
Team (1st-place votes) Points Last Week 1. California (17) 491 1 2. Yale (8) 470 2 3. Virginia 454 3 4. WASHINGTON 410 17 5. USC 384 4 6. Princeton 372 5 7. Michigan State 322 8 8. Washington State 317 15 9. Tennessee 273 7 10. Stanford 252 6 11. Ohio State 249 9 12. Brown 227 11 13. Harvard 173 13 14. Minnesota 161 12 15. Michigan 151 10 16. Notre Dame 132 14 17. UCLA 122 18 18. Clemson 109 16 19. Pennsylvania 56 20 20. Northeastern 33 nr
