April 1, 2012

San Diego Crew Classic Results

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Stanford men's rowing finished up a strong weekend at the San Diego Crew Classic as the I and II Eights battled through severe weather conditions to turn in fourth- and fifth-place finishes in their respective Grand Finals.

The I Eight, racing from lane four in the Copley Cup Grand Final, battled its way to a fourth-place finish against some of the best crews in the nation.

The Cardinal crossed the line in a time of 6:25.93, eight seconds back of Harvard, and missing out on third place by just over a second behind Navy.

"The men's Varsity Eight was on fighting with the block `S' behind them," said Stanford men's rowing head coach Craig Amerkhanian. "Racing from lane four in tough conditions they fought for third over the Naval Academy for 1,800 meters before being caught in the last 10 strokes. This is a great statement, racing with number one and three-ranked crews in Harvard and Cal all the way down the course in a difficult location. We look forward more intense racing as the season cranks up in Seattle next Saturday."

The II Eight, competing in the Sharp Cabrillo Cup Grand Final, took fifth with a time of 6:44.32, giving the Cardinal a pair of top-five finishes at the event.

Combined with a petite final victory by the Frosh Eight Saturday afternoon, Amerkhanian felt that the Cardinal men gained some valuable experience and confidence as the spring championship season has gotten underway.

"Our second varsity was out in lane five in the final and held that position, finishing fifth," Amerkhanian said. "With our frosh winning the petite final in a tight six-boat race, the Stanford men are leaving San Diego with confidence and solid goals."

The Cardinal will travel to the Pacific Northwest next weekend, taking on Washington Saturday, April 7 in Seattle then traveling to Corvallis, Ore to face Oregon State Sunday, April 8.