Cardinal boats ranged from ocean to ocean over the weekend, as sailing and rowing won a combined three of four competitions.
Sailing
A foggy weekend at Thames River didn’t keep the Cardinal from taking the Thompson Trophy off a silver platter. Despite competition from runner-up Harvard in the A and B divisions, Stanford’s low of 36 points in the C division was more than enough to secure the victory, as the Cardinal finished with just 200 points overall to Harvard’s 276.
In a 17-team field, sophomore skipper Jack Parkin and junior crew Taylor Kirkpatrick placed third or better in 11 of 13 C division races, winning seven of them. The second-best finisher, Tufts University, was not even close to the Cardinal, netting 82 points. Harvard, meanwhile, recorded the second-worst score in the division, with 135 points.
The Stanford smackdown at Thames was not replicated at the Navy Spring Regatta, though the Cardinal did secure fifth in a competitive field of 18. The Navy Midshipmen and Georgetown Hoyas stole the show, finishing first and second with 124 and 128 points, respectively, as the College of Charleston wrapped up the top three with 135.
With 205 points, Stanford came close to fourth but ultimately fell to George Washington University (198) to close out the top five.
Stanford will be split across the country this weekend, between the Pacific Coast Collegiate Sailing Conference Women’s championships at Los Angeles and the Admirals Cup at Kings Point, N.Y.
No. 3 women’s rowing
Gold River ran red on Saturday, as the Cardinal won each of its first nine races up north at the Lake Natoma Invitational.
In three races against the Gonzaga Bulldogs and host Sacramento State, Stanford never let either opponent finish within 18 seconds. Notre Dame’s Second Varsity Four breached that threshold, albeit barely, in Stanford’s fourth race of the day, as the Fighting Irish’s time of 7:35.5 was well behind the Cardinal’s 7:18.7.
Things were closer against No. 2 Cal, as the Golden Bears’ Third Varsity Eight finished at 6:50.3, less than eight seconds after the Cardinal clocked in at 6:42.6.
USC also challenged the Cardinal, finishing with times of 7:31.5 (Varsity Four), 6:39.5 (Second Varsity Eight) and 6:20.3 (Varsity Eight). But Stanford held strong, winning each race with times of 7:16.3, 6:30.7 and 6:15.9, respectively. Tulsa played the third wheel, finishing last in each race.
The real test for Stanford came on Sunday, as the Cardinal Varsity Eight were edged by Cal in a sinking 6:14.84 to 6:17.84 defeat.
Stanford topped the Golden Bears’ Second Varsity Eight squad 6:26.84 to 6:31.97, and the Cardinal Varsity Four cruised to a 10-second victory over No. 6 Brown, with Cal trailing behind at 7:18.71.
Closing the festivities was the second heat of the Third Varsity Eight, in which Cal came in at 6:38.7 to Stanford’s 6:44.85.
Men’s rowing
Back home at the Stanford Invitational, the Cardinal Varsity Eight won both of its races, defeating Hobart 5:48.1 to 5:51.2 and Santa Clara 5:39.7 to 5:55.8.
The Third Varsity Eight fell to Santa Clara 6:23.6 to 6:20.7, and the Second Varsity Eight fended off the Broncos 5:58.6 to 6:11.7. But a combined team effort from Stanford’s Second Varsity Eight and Third Varsity Eight fared less well against UC Davis, falling 6:25.4 to 6:11.6.
The Second Varsity Eight suffered a 5:48.1 to 5:51.2 loss to Hobart.
Taking on Wisconsin on Sunday, the Varsity Eight edged the Badgers 5:56.6 to 5:58.3. A 6:31.7 to 7:00.8 defeat by the Third Varsity Eight and a 6:16.9 to 6:15.9 loss by the Second Varsity Eight wrapped up the three-race day.
Both rowing teams have time for some rest and rehabilitation before an April 27 showdown against Cal in the Big Row.
Contact Holden Foreman at hs4man21 ‘at’ stanford.edu.