With synchronized strokes gliding its boats across the smooth water surface, the UCSD men’s crew team competed in the San Diego Fall Classic on Nov. 5 against Cal State Long Beach, Arizona State University, UC Irvine, the University of San Diego and San Diego State University.
The two men’s varsity eight boats smoked their competitors in the San Diego Fall Classic on Nov. 5, finishing first in both races and in the clear of Cal State Long Beach.
The first race for the Tritons was the novice four, which featured freshmen Travis Bass, Dane Jensen and Dan Hallisy and junior Paul Shrogin in a time trial. The four dominated the race, defeating Cal State Long Beach and Arizona State by over a minute.
Shrogin was pleased with his boat’s performance.
“”We had a good row, really nice day for it and it was really calm,”” Shrogin said. “”This was our first race together and we got a good feel for the competition.””
Just like the novice four, the two varsity eight boats blew away their competition in the time trial, finishing first and second in the race. As a testament to the team’s prowess, the boats finished within one second of one another, with Cal State Long Beach as their next closest competitor at more than 30 seconds behind.
Zach Johnson, who is in his first season as head coach of the team, was very proud of his rowers.
“”We were going strong from start to finish,”” he said. “”Our crews were setting themselves up for spring season.””
Senior captain and varsity eight seventh seat Brenden Carriker agreed.
“”We were really strong,”” he said. “”The guys had good cadence and the power never faltered.””
The course was 6,000 meters long and had its share of difficulties.
“”This course had a lot of turns and there was even a U-turn,”” Carriker said. “”But our coxswain, Shanti Tharayil, hit the turns perfectly. It’s easy to lose time by hitting the turns wrong.””
The sweep of first and second places makes the team two for two on the season. The varsity team also placed first and second in its first race at the San Diego Row for the Cure Regatta.
With two early victories, the team has very high hopes for its regular season in the spring. After finishing second last year in the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association, the Tritons are determined to win it all this year, defeating main rivals Gonzaga University and Orange Coast Junior College.
“”The other crews in the conference are really fast but we feel that we can be really competitive,”” Johnson said. “”Our goal is to win everything.””
Carriker echoed his coach’s sentiment.
“”We will most definitely be competitive for the division championship,”” Carriker said. “”Rowing is a strange sport in that it is not dependent on one particular person. You’re as fast as the slowest person. It’s a whole team effort and we have a very fast team as a whole.””
The crew team will be participating in the Newport Autumn Rowing Festival on Nov. 12 in Newport Harbor.
