SAN DIEGO — After UC San Diego men's rowing's third Varsity 8 cruised to victory by over 15 seconds, the second Varsity 8 mounted an intense sprint to the finish, coming from behind to win the Tritons' second trophy at the San Diego Crew Classic on Sunday. The first Varsity 8 finished fifth among a field of tough competition.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Varsity 8 was the first boat in action for UC San Diego, racing in the Copley Cup — the Crew Classic's invite-only competition for top collegiate crews. The Tritons came in a close fifth, only three tenths of a second behind fourth-placed Bates College, and less than a boat length behind second-place Marist. The whole field finished well behind winners A.S.R. Nereus, an Amsterdam-based rowing club which has produced multiple rowers for the Dutch Olympic Team.
 
Because their field of competition was so small, UC San Diego's third Varsity 8 did not race on Saturday, as the whole field automatically advanced to Sunday's final. The Tritons got off the line well in that final, which turned out to be all they needed to do. In lane 2, Bates' boat swerved wildly toward MIT in lane 3. After avoiding collision, MIT overcorrected, swerving back toward Bates, allowing UC San Diego to continue building their lead. There was plenty of open water behind the Tritons as they crossed the finish line.
 
The second Varsity 8 did not have open water behind them in their race. UC San Diego got off to a bad start and Marist took the lead early. Around the halfway mark, the Red Foxes had open water between their stern and the Tritons' bow. But in the final quarter of the race, junior coxswain Sam Feinberg called his team into action, pushing the stroke rate up to a furious 44 strokes per minute. The sprint paid off, as the Tritons pulled alongside and then overtook the Red Foxes, winning the race by just over half a second.
 
QUOTABLE
Speaking about the Varsity 8 boat, Head Coach Sean McCrea said, "it wasn't the result we wanted or hoped for, but it was a tough heat. The difference in time between second place and fifth place was two seconds, it was a very tight race and they raced their butts off. We're super proud of the way they performed and carried themselves on and off the water."
 
McCrea also commended his third Varsity 8's ability to perform with limited practice, saying, "A lot of those guys are freshmen, and most of them didn't get to race at our last regatta in Newport, so this is their first race of the season. For them to be able to come out, execute, and walk away with a trophy is awesome."
 
And McCrea had praise for the second Varsity 8's grit. "That sprint they had in the last 500 (meters) was awesome," he said. "They got the rate way up, they trusted their coxswain, they trusted his calls … Most of the guys in that boat are seniors, so for them to finish their last collegiate Crew Classic with a win is awesome."
 
LINEUPS
Varsity 8: Tommy Morehouse (Cox), Archie McKirdy (8), Stuart Boynton (7), Thomas Wilson (6), Miko Brown (5), Michael Brown (4), Matt Schade (3), Kevork Tchakmakjian (2), Danny Jarotzky (1)
 
2nd Varsity 8: Sam Feinberg (Cox), Leon Friedrichowitz (8), Ray Gazzo (7), Christopher Cox (6), Kevin Mead (5), Hayden McCormick (4), Jameson Godsey (3), Alex Francis (2), Felix Sorokine (1)
 
3rd Varsity 8: Bailey Kim (Cox), Jake Lopez (8), Christian Gaylord (7), Michael McMaster (6), Loren Phillips (5), Sean Romero (4), Caleb Waechter (3), Maxwell Igou (2), Austin Newman (1)

UP NEXT
The Tritons' next regatta will be April 9-10, as they travel north to Oakland Estuary for Cal's Ebright Invitational. UC San Diego will be back on Mission Bay the following weekend for duals against the University of San Diego and Temple on April 16.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.