GOLD RIVER, Calif. — The UC San Diego men's rowing team competed at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championship Sunday on Lake Natoma alongside several of the nation's top programs.
The Tritons fielded two boats with the Varsity 8 placing fifth and the Second Varsity 8 placing sixth.
UC San Diego now waits to officially find out if it has earned an at-large berth in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championship Regatta. The 2026 NCAA Division I Rowing Selection Show will air Tuesday, May 19th, at 3 p.m. Pacific on
NCAA.com.
Washington, the No. 1-ranked squad in the country, won the Varsity 8 race and hence was tabbed the MPSF Champion. The Huskies came in about two seconds ahead of California, the No. 2-ranked team in the nation.
Also in Sunday's field were No. 5 Stanford, Oregon State, and the University of British Columbia, which was making its debut at the conference championship.
This was the second running of the MPSF Championship. In 2025, UC San Diego's Varsity 8 won the petit final to place fifth overall and qualify for the IRA's. In addition, the Second Varsity Eight finished sixth, just .370 seconds behind Santa Clara at the top of that petite final. The Tritons' Third Varsity 8 boat also placed sixth.
California was the 2025 champion.
The 2026 IRA National Championship Regatta is slated for May 29-31 on Lake Natoma. It will be the 123rd running of the event.
RESULTS
Varsity 8 Grand Final
1. Washington, 5:40.476
2. Caifornia, 5:42.463
3. Stanford, 5:47.427
4. British Columbia, 6:03.539
5. UC San Diego, 6:07.307
6. Oregon State, 6:08.296
Second Varsity 8 Grand Final
1. Washington, 5:45.416
2. California, 5:47.312
3. Stanford, 5:52.411
4. British Columbia, 6:07.599
5. Oregon State, 6:15.454
6. UC San Diego, 6:19.303
TRITON BOAT LINEUPS
Varsity 8
Coxswain:
Vahram Tchakmakjian
Stroke:
Emmett Hoffman
7:
Tate Griffin
6:
Camden Park-Coburn
5:
John Mitchell
4:
Aleksander Navarro
3:
Kyle Pellegrini
2:
Nicholas Brown
Bow:
Aidan McDonnell
Second Varsity 8
Coxswain: Estella Zeppelin
Stroke: Julian Johnson
7: Owen Chen
6: Benjamin Davids
5: Cody Jiang
4: Paris Liston
3: Peter Dogan
2: Dominic de Roulhac
Bow: Bryce Blair
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 in NCAA Division I. The 24-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 39 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 NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
