On April 25, UC San Diego women’s rowing kicked off the two-day Triton Invitational at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, competing against Gonzaga, Sacramento State, Saint Mary’s, Portland, and University of San Diego.
Despite the mugginess of the first day of the invitational, the Tritons shone in their matchup against the Portland Pilots, managing to win three out of four races. The Tritons’ second and third varsity four boats, earning times of 8:09.62 and 8:13.59, respectively, faltered against the Pilots’ second varsity four boat, which came in at 7:55.60.
“I think, given the level of competition that we get to surround ourselves with here, I think we performed well,” assistant coach and boathouse manager Toby Johnson said to The UCSD Guardian. “Some of these schools are with the WCC, which we will be going into next year, so it’s good to kind of get an idea of where they’re at when we move forward to the next year.”
After a nice early afternoon break for the competing teams, the rowers brought out their boats onto Lower Otay Reservoir, and UCSD was back in action on Saturday afternoon against the Saint Mary’s Gaels. While the Tritons put up a good fight, they were ultimately swept by the Gaels, losing all four races. The closest race between the two teams was the first varsity four, where the Gaels finished in 8:04.60, with the Tritons trailing behind at 8:08.48.
On Sunday, the Tritons competed in the first race of the day — this time facing the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Sacramento State Hornets in a tri-meet. The Tritons were unable to win any of the races, but they placed second in all but the first varsity eight. The second varsity four race was particularly thrilling, as UCSD’s third varsity four boat beat its second and crossed the finish line about a boat-length behind Gonzaga.
Despite their losses, the Tritons managed to win three of the twelve races they competed in during the regatta. UCSD’s next regatta will be against UCLA in Marina del Rey on Saturday, May 2.
Though the Bruins won’t go easy on the Tritons, Johnson is confident that it will be a good growth opportunity for the team.
“We’re still young as a Division-I program, and I think moving forward and being surrounded by that level of competition is where we need to strive to be, and so, basically going out and working with a team like that is something very good for our team to learn from.”
Following the UCLA matchup, the Tritons will travel to New Jersey for the CAA Championships on May 15 and May 16, looking to improve upon last year’s fifth-place overall finish.
