In its last weekend of competition before a date with USC, the UCLA women’s rowing team took first place in Group 2 and fourth place overall at the Lake Natoma Challenge on Saturday and Sunday.
In the second day of competition, the Bruin varsity eight boat picked up a crucial win in the Group 2 final to give the team 13 points overall and a tie with Minnesota. Because UCLA had won the varsity eight race, it was awarded the tiebreaker and crowned as the winner of the second group.
“It was a strong field, and to come away the winner of Group 2 was a great performance,” coach Amy Fuller Kearney said.
According to Fuller Kearney, the key to the varsity eight team’s performance Sunday was its members’ ability to relax under pressure and let their power do the work for them. It is a technique the team has been working on all season.
“I definitely liked the way that, whenever we go up against schools that have been ranked in the top 20, it’s a mental challenge and we really tried to focus on our boat and relax more,” Fuller Kearney said. “And it’s tough in that pressure situation to be relaxed and that’s really what the varsity eight needed to do.”
The fourth place overall finish was a confidence-booster for a rowing team that has been plagued by injury and adversity this season. Fuller Kearney said that at least six rowers who would have been in one of the two varsity eight boats have been sidelined by injuries and as a result, several walk-on freshmen have had to step up.
The team has also had to adjust to several lineup changes due to the constant shuffling of rowers. For all these reasons, Fuller Kearney was very pleased with the weekend result.
“The varsity eight started off the year quite well,” she said. “They sort of had a little bit of a stumbling block but they seem to have defiantly regained their stride and good rhythm. It was good to see them race that way.
“In truth the rest of the team is doing a great job. Morale is really high. We have been faced with an unbelievable amount of injuries and obstacles this season, and I’m really glad of how people have been stepping up. It has not been easy.”
The rowers will now look ahead to May 2 when they are scheduled to square off against rival USC. With a few weeks off, the Bruins will look to recover from injuries, regroup and refine their technique.
After meeting the Trojan rowers, UCLA will enter the postseason where Fuller Kearney said the Pac-10 Championships will probably determine whether the Bruins make it to the NCAAs. The winner of the Pac-10 Championships will receive an automatic bid to the national competition, and the Bruins will presumably need to secure the top spot in the conference to advance.
But depite these difficulties, the Bruins appear to be rowing without any weight on their shoulders.
“Right now we feel like we have nothing to lose,” Fuller Kearney said.