GOLD RIVER, Calif. — Santa Clara men's rowing notched a pair of first-place finishes in close races during Saturday's Head of the American regatta at Lake Natoma. The Open 4+ boat finished dead even with UC Davis and the Novice 8+ boat edged San Diego by one second in their respective races

The Broncos had six boats compete on the day in their only event of the fall.

"We had a very solid start to our year on Saturday," head coach Jay Farwell said. "At last year's event, we only sent a varsity 8 and novice 8. This year, with our expanding roster, we sent three 8s worth of guys and got them multiple races."

RESULTS

Men's Open 4+ Final — 19 Boats

1. Santa Clara A (Brewer) — 18:08

9.  Santa Clara B (Belford) — 18:45

The Broncos tied for first place with the Aggies, who won last year's club national championship.

Men's Collegiate Novice 8+ Final — 15 Boats

1. Santa Clara (Steffen) — 16:51

Santa Clara won the event for the second straight year with their narrow victory over the Toreros.

"It was a good race for our freshmen," Farwell said. "We knew USD was going to be competitive and our boat had a good race." 

Men's Open 8+ Final — 20 Boats 

4. Santa Clara A (Brewer) — 16:36

7. Santa Clara B (Belford) — 17:15

14. Santa Clara C (Steffen) — 18:09 

Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, and San Diego landed the top three spots in the Open 8+ Final. 

"While it was not our best race, it was great to get into a competitive environment to see how the guys respond," Farwell said. 

UP NEXT

The Broncos begin a six-regatta spring season March 6, 2016 at the Davis Invitational.

GO BRONCOS!