LA JOLLA, Calif. - UC San Diego women's crew returns to Sacramento County this weekend for the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships, taking place on Saturday, May 15 with a slated start of 8 a.m. at Gold River.

When last in action at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, also held in Gold River, the Tritons finished strong, as the varsity eight placed third in the petite final and finished 12th overall. The second varsity eight also came in third during their race on the final day, while the second novice eight placed sixth. Senior Brianna Patterson, who rowed in five different races during the first day of action at the WIRA Championships, earned a spot on the All-WIRA Second Team.

The Tritons ended their 2009 season at the PCRCs last year with 28 women competing at the event on Lake Natoma. UCSD would take home 38 medals from the regatta, as the varsity eight boat finished third behind champion Western Washington and runner-up Humboldt State. Recording another third-place showing was the varsity four in a race that included some of the fastest Division II fours in the nation. In the other races during the day, UCSD was second in the open pair, open four and open eight, third in the lightweight four, and fifth in the novice four.

UCSD will again face five-team defending national and varsity eight champion Western Washington this weekend. WWU has advanced to the national championships nine straight times, while the Tritons have been absent from NCAA competition since finishing as national runners-up in 2007 and 2008.