The two-day event, held in Gold River, Calif., requires teams to qualify in races on Saturday for either grand final or petite final races on Sunday. UCSD qualified seven boats in total for the Sunday races.
The varsity eight boat was the star of Sunday’s race, as the Tritons took first in their final race, beating out Gonzaga by a boat length — just over one second. UCSD finished the 2k race in 5:52.6, with the Bulldogs trailing at 5:53.8. UCLA finished a distant third at 5:58.3.
The Tritons got their second win from the junior varsity ‘A’ boat, which beat out Orange Coast College and Gonzaga to finish in 6:04.3 and take the win. UCSD’s junior varsity ‘B’ boat took fourth in the race.
The novice eight boat took home a third-place finish in 6:11.7, finishing behind winners Orange Coast College and Gonzaga.
Men’s head coach Zach Johnson was named WIRA Coach of the Year for the third consecutive year after Sunday’s final race.
The Tritons will now compete in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships in Camden, N.J. from June 2-4.
The women’s team had a trio of fourth-place finishes in Sunday’s races. The varsity eight was fourth in the petite final, finishing in 7:06.4. UC Santa Barbara took first in 6:56.6. The novice four boat took fourth in their grand final, coming in at 8:30.6. The lightweight four boat finished in 8:26.0 to take the Tritons’ last fourth-place finish.
The University of San Diego varsity eight boat turned in the best women’s time of the day at 6:31.1.
Readers can contact Liam Rose at [email protected].