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The UCLA women’s rowing team will compete in the Pac-10 Championships this weekend against

A season of practicing as the sun rises could come to an end this weekend at the Pac-10 Championships in Lake Natoma, Calif.

Depending on overall performances of every team in the country, the UCLA women’s rowing team could continue to nationals or they could just show up for one final practice Tuesday and call it a year.

“Anything can happen,” junior co-captain Erin Rice said.

The outcome is hard to predict for a conference with so many nationally ranked teams. The Bruins will compete against a handful of top crews, including Cal and USC. UCLA barely lost to Washington State at the San Diego Crew Classic earlier this season, and the Bruins expect another close race with the Cougars.

“We are in a really fast conference,” Rice said. “Really fast.”

In preparation for the conference championships and to increase their odds of continuing to the NCAA Championships, the Bruins have been fine-tuning during practice. They have worked on maintaining speed and staying strong in the second 1000 meters.

“One of our weaknesses is the middle 1000 because we see our splits start to go up around the middle,” Rice said.

As another motivational tool, coach Amy Fuller Kearney always reminds the team about competitive greatness. She sets the tone by demanding that UCLA own its races. On Sunday, Fuller Kearney expects her boats to be the ones pulling ahead at the halfway mark. She will hold her coxswains accountable for anticipating when other schools attempt to take the lead. At that moment, she wants her boats to get quicker and make the move forward.

“We’re hoping for a team bid and that’s a very good possibility if we do well this weekend,” Rice said. The Bruins are seeded fifth out of 13 teams, ahead of a typically strong Stanford, which has considerably more scholarship rowers.

Results of the teams that qualify for nationals will be released next Tuesday. A total of 12 schools will receive team bids, and an additional four schools will get a bid for their varsity eight boat.

Last year, the Bruins’ varsity boat competed at the NCAA Championships thanks to an at-large bid; this year UCLA aims to build upon that success by sending the entire team. Fuller Kearney said she is very optimistic about the possibility.

Before racing Sunday, the varsity team will meet to discuss strategy. With one graduating senior, Liz Pallas-Jacobs, and many incoming freshmen, the rowers will ignore the fact it could be their last race together as a team. Instead, as they huddle in front of friends and family, the girls will focus on different parts of the race. They will get their heads in the right place and focus on pulling ahead to earn a spot at nationals.