The UCSD men’s crew team would have added another victory to its season record if the Newport Invitational had been similar to previous years. On April 16, the Tritons finished second overall behind UC Davis in Newport Beach, Calif. The Division I Aggies had never before participated in the tournament that typically features Division II schools.
Like butter:
“It was a shame we lost to them because this was the first time Davis had come down for the tournament, but we still showed that we could beat all of the teams that usually participate in the tournament,” varsity oarsman Michael Bravo said.
UC Davis finished four seconds ahead of the Tritons during the varsity eight-boat event. The Tritons clocked in at six minutes, four seconds, while the Aggies came in slightly ahead at 6:00.
The University of Southern California finished third at 6:07.
“We rode as fast as we could,” varsity captain Steven Oliver said. “Davis was just a little bit quicker than we were today. Davis has a very experienced crew, and they have many rowers who spend a lot more time training.”
The loss at Newport Beach was the first race this season where the team did not win an event.
“We were really shooting to beat Davis, but they are definitely proving that they are the team to beat this season,” Bravo said.
The Tritons now have two weeks to prepare for the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship in Sacramento, Calif. The race concludes the season and features all of the teams from the section.
“We were pleased with the race at Newport, but we are going to really focus on improving our time so we can beat Davis at the championship in two weeks,” Bravo said.
UCSD’s varsity eight-boat must trim four seconds off its time from Sunday to surpass the Aggies’ average time. Four seconds represents a distance only slightly longer than the length of a boat.
“Coach Davis said after the race that we have a great shot at improving our time in two weeks, and we are very excited and ready for the challenge,” Bravo said.
Varsity oarsman Andres Onetto agreed that making up four seconds in two weeks is possible.
“We have a great chance to beat Davis at the WIRA finals,” Onetto said. “That four seconds can be made up with just pure willpower.”
The novice eight-boat also finished second during its event at the Newport Invitational. The Tritons finished at 6:05, and Orange Coast College clocked in just tenths of a second ahead, also posting a 6:05 run.
“It was a little frustrating out on the water because we were having some technical difficulties, but we still ran a fast race,” novice captain Joe Gram said.
During the middle of the race, the team’s coxswain, Shannon Oliver, had her microphone malfunction. As a result, Gram was not able to effectively communicate with the back of the boat.
“Even though we had some minor problems, we were still able to beat some big teams,” Gram said. “We started off in dead-last like usual, but once again we slowly passed up all of the other crews and battled OCC for first.”
The novice eight-boat will have its final chance to beat its season rival, Orange Coast College, at the WIRA championship.
“In the next two weeks, we are going to go over some strategizing,” Gram said. “And we are going to work with the varsity team in order to help push ourselves a little bit more.”
With a good showing at the WIRA Championships, the varsity team would have a good chance of sending at least one boat to the National Finals in Worchester, Mass. There, the Tritons would race against some of the top Pac-10 schools, including Stanford University.
The team is led by head coach Mark Davis, who is at the end of his second year at UCSD. He came to UCSD after coaching at the University of Texas.
“Our season has been a great success and we have come a long way this season thanks to Coach Davis,” Bravo said. “[He] has made us a much faster team. He has showed us how to row more efficiently and has taught us all of the technical aspects of the sport.”
The Tritons will have their chance to beat UC Davis at the WIRA Championships on Lake Natoma in Folsom, Calif., on April 30. This represents the team’s last chance to qualify for the National Invitational May 7 and May 8.
