SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara men's rowing heads south this weekend for the 42nd annual San Diego Crew Classic Saturday and Sunday at Mission Bay in America's Finest City. The event marks the official start of racing season for many crews, while the Broncos have already competed three times this spring.
The regatta dates back to 1973, and is one of the biggest competitions in the world for eight-man boats.
"We are carrying a great deal of momentum into this race and the varsity 8, in particular, is looking forward to matching up against 19 other crews from across the county," head coach Jay Farwell said. "We will also get to see the crews from USD, UCSD, and Loyola Marymount who are always fast and our direct competition for IRA qualification.
"Our other two boats (JV 8 and Novice 8) will have their hands full. Our novice 8 will be comprised of a few true novices and less experienced rowers and the JV 8 will have a number of sophomores and a junior. This race prohibits doubling (racing in more than one race category) so both of these boats will be impacted a bit by that restriction. Our varsity 8 will have six freshmen, two sophomores, and one senior. We are looking forward to the trip and seeing how we stack up against the competition."
Compared to past seasons, the SDCC is earlier this year relative to Santa Clara's spring break. Farwell and the Broncos have changed up their normal spring break training to adjust for the schedule.
"Spring break is a really important training period for us and we will miss a few double-day practices toward the end of the week," Farwell said. "The guys are looking forward to the road trip during spring break and San Diego is a great area for them to have a little fun as well."
