April 27, 2002

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. - The Santa Clara University men's crew raced against California's third varsity team Saturday morning and came up a little short as the Bears raced to a 19 second victory at Redwood Shores.

The race was a last minute addition for head coach Jay Farwell's crew, as the Cal-Washington duel was left a little short as the Huskies did not bring their third varsity. So the Bears asked the Broncos to fill in, and with one week to go before the WIRA Championships, Santa Clara was looking for one more tune up.

Cal raced out to a four second advantage after the first 500 meters and built that lead by nearly five more seconds over the next 500 meters. Santa Clara raced a very consistant race with split times of 1:30 and 1:35 over the first 1000 meters.

Over the last 1000 meters, Cal increased its lead by nearly six seconds at the 1500 meter mark and by only four seconds during the final 500 meters. At the finish line the Bears crossed in a time of 6:03.29 while the Broncos finished in a time of 6:22.56.

For the Broncos it was a good opportunity to see where it matched up against the best in the nation, as the Cal-Washington dual might be the premier dual match event in the country according to Farwell. Currently Cal holds the top ranking in the nation while Washington is ranked third in the country.

Santa Clara will continue its season next weekend when it races on May 4 and 5 in the WIRA Championships at Lake Natoma in Sacramento, Calif.

Santa Clara vs. California (3V):
California, 6:03.29
Santa Clara, 6:22.56