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It could happen this weekend. On Wednesday, the UCLA rowing team made the trip to West Windsor, N.J., with the intent to make good on its at-large berth in the NCAA Championships. The 17th-ranked Bruins received one of four at-large bids, which allows teams to bring a Varsity Eight boat. This is the second year in a row that UCLA has fielded a varsity team in the championships. And if the Bruins have the race of their lives, they could win UCLA’s 100th national championship. “It’s always exciting (to go to the championships),” coach Amy Fuller Kearney said. “Last year was our first year and we were there with seven walk-ons. We have a little more experience coming from the high-school level. Everyone is thrilled with the opportunity (to compete against) the best of the best in the country.” The Pac-10 is well-represented in this year’s finals. In addition to Stanford, Washington and Washington State, 2005 champion California is also participating in the team competition. USC received an at-large bid as well, but Fuller Kearney said that is not a problem for the Bruins. “Our biggest competitor is our own potential. I don’t think there’s a rivalry. We’re just out there to race well,” she said. The Bruins are hoping to improve drastically on their sixth-place finish in the Pac-10 Championships two weeks ago. It was a rare poor performance for UCLA, which had won 10 of its previous 14 races. The competition will last until Sunday, if all goes well. Friday’s schedule features the qualifying heats for Saturday’s semifinals.

TEFF AND LEE HONORED: On Monday, the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association honored freshman Vanessa Teff and junior Elizabeth Lee. Teff was named to the CRCA All-West Region team, becoming the first UCLA freshman to do so. Lee was named a National Scholar Athlete for having a GPA higher than 3.5 and competing in over 75% of the season’s races. “(Teff’s) a great freshman. She deserves the recognition,” Fuller Kearney said. “It’s a great thing for this program to have an athlete recognized. But it’s a team sport. ... We’re so proud of the academics at UCLA, and we’re so proud of (Lee). When someone can have a 3.5 GPA with a biology major – it shows her determination.”