After their third-place finish at the Pac-10 championships in Sacramento, the post-season chances of the No. 16 Washington women's rowers were left at the mercy of the NCAA selection committee, who decided whether the Huskies would be invited to the national championship. USC and California, the top-two finishers in the conference, received automatic bids to nationals, while the Huskies vied for one of just seven at-large team berths.

Last Tuesday, when the selection committee made their announcements, the Huskies breathed a sigh of relief, as they received an at-large berth for the second year in a row. This year's invitation makes the Huskies the second team to have participated in the championship competition in every year of its existence. Since the NCAA's sponsorship of women's crew began in 1997, Washington and Brown are the only teams invited to participate in all eleven years.

"We've been practicing hard these past few days, and I'm excited about how things are looking," women's coach Eleanor McElvaine said.

In addition to the UW, USC and Cal, who all received team bids to the championship, Stanford and UCLA will enter crews in the varsity eight competitions, reflecting the strength of the women's Pac-10 conference this year. In the conference championship two weeks ago, the Husky women's varsity eight placed last in one of the tightest races of the weekend.

"We moved the stroke out of the JV and into the varsity," McElvaine said. "That changed the rhythm and excitement of the varsity boat."

The Huskies have three rowers returning to the NCAA championship for the second time. One of those rowers, senior Cara Troelstra was named to the 2007 Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association All-West region team this week. Troelstra, who is in her first season rowing varsity, is the Huskies' team captain this year.

Going into the championship, the Huskies are excited to be racing against teams from across the nation, many of whom they have not faced before.

"I can't guess how we'll finish — there are so many teams we haven't seen before," McElvaine said. "Everyone's excited, and we're looking forward to racing."

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