[fullmetal]

I just got back from refereeing the Conference USA rowing championship (the rowing members are an ad-hoc collection of Big 12, SEC, C-USA, and some west coast crews--Oklahoma won the automatic qualifier, but they will not win NCAAs).  I did see the Pac-12 results, and the women's crew did an amazing job--or rather, they showed that the past year or two's work has been amazing.  Racing only shows you the quality of your practices.  The women are now definitely in the hunt for a national title with that kind of finish.  Ohio State swept the Big 10, Virginia won the ACC, and Princeton won the Ivy League.  Those three, plus the rest of the Pac-12 field, will all be chasing each other for the title in two weeks.  Make no mistake though, the Pac-12 finishes were extremely tight.  Stanford edged out wins, showing great poise down the stretch, but those margins were close, and there will be a large bullseye on the team's back as they head into the NCAA regatta.

The Stanford men are having a tough season, but it is the senior season for superlative collegian Austin Hack, so one can only hope that their IRA (national champ) regatta showing will be better than their Pac-12 showing.

[fullmetal]

I just got back from refereeing the Conference USA rowing championship (the rowing members are an ad-hoc collection of Big 12, SEC, C-USA, and some west coast crews--Oklahoma won the automatic qualifier, but they will not win NCAAs).  I did see the Pac-12 results, and the women's crew did an amazing job--or rather, they showed that the past year or two's work has been amazing.  Racing only shows you the quality of your practices.  The women are now definitely in the hunt for a national title with that kind of finish.  Ohio State swept the Big 10, Virginia won the ACC, and Princeton won the Ivy League.  Those three, plus the rest of the Pac-12 field, will all be chasing each other for the title in two weeks.  Make no mistake though, the Pac-12 finishes were extremely tight.  Stanford edged out wins, showing great poise down the stretch, but those margins were close, and there will be a large bullseye on the team's back as they head into the NCAA regatta.

The Stanford men are having a tough season, but it is the senior season for superlative collegian Austin Hack, so one can only hope that their IRA (national champ) regatta showing will be better than their Pac-12 showing.