The Washington men’s and women’s crew went into the Pac-10 championship prepared to face competition from some of the best schools in the nation. They return to Seattle having proven once again that the Huskies can more than hold their own in the conference. The No. 1-nationally ranked men’s team had some close races against the University of California, their toughest competition in the conference as well as one of the top teams in the nation, but won two of the four races they entered to emerge with a first-place Pac-10 finish. The women also fared well, taking the gold in only one of their events but finishing third overall in the tournament.

“We’re happy to have finished third in the Pac-10,” women’s coach Eleanor McElvaine said. “Our varsity eight struggled, but a bunch of boats did well.”

The women’s varsity eight final was one of the most tightly contested of the weekend, with six teams ranked in the top 20 in the nation, including No. 1 USC. The Husky women struggled from the start and ended in last place with a time of 6:55.01 — 15 seconds behind the winning boat from USC.

“The varsity was pretty good in the heat, but not in the final — we’re pretty disappointed,” McElvaine said. “The other teams are really good, and we just didn’t step up.”

The other races the women entered were much closer. The Huskies defeated local rival Gonzaga in the varsity four race, hanging on to an early lead to take the gold with a time of 7:38.02. In the JV race, the Huskies stayed close to Cal from the start and finished in second place with a time of 6:56.68, three seconds behind the Bears. The novice eight boat also took silver in its race, finishing just behind Gonzaga.

On the men’s side of the races, the Washington rowers once again proved their dominance in the sport, but Cal proved it wasn’t far behind. The Huskies and the No. 3 Bears took first and second in each of the four finals in which they competed. In the varsity four race, the UW was unable to hold off a move from the Bears and finished second with a time of 6:47.48. Cal’s freshman boat also topped the Huskies, making it the second time this season that the UW novice eight boat had lost to the Bears.

The Husky rowers were tough in the varsity and junior varsity eight races, taking the gold in both. The men were almost upset in the varsity race as Cal stayed within striking distance all the way to the finish line. However, the Huskies were able to hang on the lead and took the race by a little over one second, posting the winning time of 5:46.35.

Reach reporter Risa Pavia at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.