GAINESVILLE, Ga. – The Yale women's crew team opened the NCAA Championship on a high note at Lake Lanier Olympic Park, advancing two boats to Sunday's grand finals and one to the petite final. Due to weather conditions, the semifinals were also contested on Friday following the morning heats.
 
The Bulldogs came out strong in the morning heats, as all crews advanced to the A/B semifinals. The varsity eight and second varsity eight had second-place finishes in their heats, and the varsity four placed third. Yale then continued the momentum in the semifinals, as the varsity eight and second varsity eight took third to move onto the grand finals, and the varsity four advanced to the petite final.
 
Heat Results

• Stroked by Valia Lykomitrou, the varsity eight finished second, crossing the line at 6:04.153. Princeton won the heat (6:02.851), and Rutgers (6:07.283), Miami (6:09.933), Rhode Island (6:28.097), and UMass (6:33.265) finished third through sixth, respectively.
• The Bulldogs' second varsity eight secured a second-place finish with a time of 6:12.132. Virginia claimed first in the heat at 6:07.114, while Miami (6:15.246), Oregon State (6:21.352), Boston University (6:24.944), and Jacksonville (6:43.802) rounded out the field.
• Yale's varsity four wrapped up the morning with a third-place finish, clocking in at 6:52.212. Texas won the heat in 6:44.878, followed by California in 6:50.488. Michigan (6:57.686) and Boston University (7:21.300) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

 
Semifinal Results

• The varsity eight crossed the line third with a time of 6:05.137. Texas (5:59.571) and Stanford (6:01.005) took first and second while Syracuse (6:06.405 - fourth), Brown (6:12.803 - fifth), and Ohio State (6:17.657 - sixth) rounded out the competition.
• Yale's second varsity eight finished third with a time of 6:15.942. Stanford (6:07.274) and Princeton (6:14.852) finished first and second, and Syracuse (6:19.158), Brown (6:19.354), and Michigan (6:25.020) were fourth through sixth, respectively.
• The Bulldogs' varsity four finished sixth in its semifinal with a time of 7:04.581.

 
Hear from Friends of YWC Head Coach Will Porter
"We took a step forward in our racing here today. It is great to see the team continue to grow and gain speed late in the season."
 

Up Next
The Bulldogs will close out competition at the championship on Sunday, May 31.
 
Sunday Race Schedule
9:24 a.m. – Varsity Four Petite Final
10:00 a.m. – Second Varsity Eight Grand Final
10:24 a.m. – Varsity Eight Grand Final