MADISON, Wis. — Three other ranked teams couldn't stop the No. 12 Wisconsin women's rowing in the second day of the Lake Natoma Invitational on Sunday morning.
 
Wisconsin swept all three of its races that featured No. 15 Gonzaga, No. 16 Iowa and No. 18 Notre Dame, and its novice eight boat grabbed the win in the third varsity eight grand final by beating both boats from No. 2 Cal.

"It was a really good end of the weekend for us. They raced really well this morning. Times were fast, but times were legit, and we were happy about that," head coach Bebe Bryans said. "That was our goal today was to get specific times, and they all exceeded those, so that was good." 
 
UW's varsity eight boat was the last to compete and ended the day with a two-second victory over Gonzaga with a time of 6:16.59.
 
After a third-place finish behind Notre Dame on Saturday, Wisconsin's second varsity eight responded with a win in its Sunday race, edging the Fighting Irish boat by a little less than five seconds. Wisconsin came in at 6:26.97, while UND and Gonzaga placed second and third in 6:31.10 and 6:32.47, respectively.

"We learned a lot from yesterday's racing, and were able to really make some improvements today, and that was our other goal," Bryans said. "All in all, it was great racing across the board." 
 
UW's varsity four had the most impressive margin of victory of the day, taking first with a 12-second cushion in front of second-place Iowa. Wisconsin completed the 2000-meter course in 7:08.26, with Iowa clocking in at 7:20.23 and Gonzaga finishing third in 7:22.86.
 
The Badgers' freshman eight boat kicked off the day with a grand final win in the third varsity eight race, topping two boats from Cal. Wisconsin raced to the top spot in 6:32.57, a three-second cushion over the first Cal boat.

"Our freshman really, really rocked," Bryans said. "They were the opening salvo and the highlight of the day for us. Everybody else just really raced well today. We're really happy about it." 
 
Wisconsin returns home to host the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge next Saturday at Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin. The first race will be at 8:30 a.m. CT. In addition to the Badgers, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma and the Wisconsin lightweight women will compete in the event. Wisconsin's men will also race against Marietta that day.
 
 
Lake Natoma Invitational
April 17, 2016
Lake Natoma
Gold River, Calif.
2000 meters
 
Varsity Eight
1. Wisconsin, 6:16.59; 2. Gonzaga, 6:18.88; 3. Notre Dame, 6:22.88; 4. Iowa, 6:24.28
UW Lineup: Coxswain Lily Hansen, Maria Schmid, Hannah Schwartz, Anna Knutson, Lexi Siverling, Maddie Wanamaker, Gillian Cooper, Brianna Dahm, Kaitlin McKeogh
 
Second Varsity Eight
1. Wisconsin, 6:26.97; 2. Notre Dame, 6:31.10; 3. Gonzaga, 6:32.47; 4. Iowa, 6:32.72
UW Lineup: Coxswain Kate Condon, Gabby Simons, Margo Grover, Callie Hebert, Megan Whitehouse, Sophia Vitas, Dani Steinberg, Marissa Gibson, Janie French
 
Varsity Four
1. Wisconsin, 7:08.26; 2. Iowa, 7:20.23; 3. Gonzaga, 7:22.86; 4. Notre Dame, 7:31.25
UW Lineup: Coxswain Rosie Brezynski, Maren Schultz, Morganne Freeman, Claire Scott, Monica Gerber
 
Novice Eight
1. Wisconsin, 6:32.57; 2. Cal A, 6:35.29; 3. Cal B, 6:43.01
 UW Lineup: Coxswain Jane Merriman, Alicia Evans, Renee Olley, Allison Morrison, Sarah Roe, Sarah Gibbons, Nica Wardell, Grace Armstrong, Maddie Brunett