Princeton confirmed it was the fastest varsity eight boat, but after 43 races, the team title at the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships was determined Sunday by the length of the small protective ball at the front of racing shells.

The top-seeded Tigers claimed the varsity eight final, the prestige event of the three-day regatta at Lake Natoma, by about 1.5 seconds in 6 minutes and 27.12 seconds.

Brown (6:28.62) was second, and Stanford (6:28.67) finished third.

Brown and Stanford tied in the team competition with 85 points, but Brown won the title, thanks to its higher varsity eight finish. Cal was third with 83 points.

Had Stanford finished second in the varsity eight and not third behind Brown by .05 seconds, the Cardinal would have claimed the team title. The difference was the estimated time it took for the boats' respective "bow balls" to cross the line.

"I thought a team title was feasible, but it was feasible for a lot of teams," said Brown coach John Murphy, whose Bears claimed their seventh title since the division championships debuted in 1997.

"I wouldn't say I'm in total shock, but there is a degree of shock. I just thought our team really went after it from the first heat," Murphy said.

The Bears have won three team titles by winning the varsity eight and two via tiebreakers, and finished second because of a tiebreaker.

Despite its No. 1 ranking, Princeton failed to win its semifinal, placing second to USC. But the Tigers took the lead early in the finale of the three-hour final session at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center.

"We just put it together and put out our best effort," said Princeton rower Lauren Wilkinson. "We were racing a little conservatively, but today we left nothing in the tank, and that was our plan."

After scale accuracy issues Friday prompted a two-hour delay in official results, boats weren't weighed Saturday. Boats were weighed Sunday only prior to races.

Five of the top six seeded boats advanced to the varsity eight final, with Stanford and USC posting surprisingly fast times in heats and semifinals. With their top three boats all advancing, Princeton, Stanford and USC were favorites to claim the team title.

"On Friday, they (the varsity eight) didn't race hard, and they weren't even sharp," said Cal coach Dave O'Neill. "On Saturday, they got a little better but admitted they were nervous. All season long, we never had a powerful sprint. We don't have the max power, so we had to go at the start today."

Cal, the top seed in varsity four, cruised through its heat and semifinal races. The foursome continued its dominance in the final, beating Virginia by more than 1.5 seconds in 7:09.60. The Cavaliers finished in 7:11.39, with USC third in 7:12.73.

The Bears fell behind Virginia early but assumed the lead at 500 meters and kept a tight advantage to the finish to complete a 10-race undefeated season.

"In the warmups, we were really solid," said junior Becca Lindquist of Gold River. "We just attacked the entire time. We set the power at 1,000 meters and just took off. Our sprint was awesome."

Western Washington won the Division II grand final in varsity four and eight to claim its seventh straight team title. Mercyhurst was second, with Humboldt State third.

Williams, a 2,000-student college in Williamstown, Mass., claimed the Division III varsity eight and team title Saturday. It was the Ephs' sixth consecutive team title and seventh overall.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.