UVa finished with 78 points — including a second-place finish in the Varsity Eight — to claim fourth place.

If the Virginia women’s rowing team can perform today the way it has in their first two days of competition at the NCAA championships, the Cavaliers could be looking at their first-ever team title.

The first day of the NCAA women’s rowing championships couldn’t have gone any better for Virginia.

As the NCAA championships get under way this morning in Cherry Hill, N.J., one thing is pretty clear: Losing at the ACCs may have been a blessing in disguise.

Virginia finished eighth at the NCAA championships at Caves Valley Golf Club, recording the first top-10 showing in the program’s six-year existence.

Virginia sophomore Matt McLean placed third in the 500 freestyle Thursday to lead the Cavaliers on the first day of the 2009 NCAA championships.

On Sunday in Sacramento, Calif., the Virginia women’s rowing team took fifth place in the NCAA Championships. While it was UVa’s eighth top-five finish in the last 11 years, it clearly wasn’t what coach Kevin Sauer was shooting for.

In the 12-year history of the NCAA Championships, UVa has participated 11 times and has finished as the runner-up three times — in 1999, in 2005, and again last year.

Virginia accomplished that and will reap the reward today — the Cavaliers open play as one of 30 teams at the championships, which are being held at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind. The Cavaliers enter as the event’s 30th seed.

UVa senior Somdev Devvarman became the first player to reach the NCAA singles semifinals in three straight years on Saturday, battling past Baylor sophomore Denes Lukacs, 6-0, 6-7 (2), 6-3.