SANTA CLARA, Calif. – In its first race since November, Santa Clara women's rowing took on UC Davis and Mills College in Davis, Calif. on March 2. The Broncos raced in the Varsity 8, Junior Varsity/Novice 8, Varsity 4, Novice 4, and Junior Varsity 4. For full results, click here. 

"Sunday was a good early indicator of where we are speed-wise, which is exactly where I want us to be," said Santa Clara head coach John Wojtkiewicz. "There were some mitigating circumstances so I think we could have done a little bit better. The weather and lane placement affected our performance to some extent. Some of the lanes boosted our performance and some, especially the Varsity 8, hurt us. That was a race I thought we could have won."

The last time the Broncos had been on the water in a race was back in November so the team was ready to compete against other schools. 

"The team was excited to get back on the water and they were ready to go," said Wojtkiewicz. "The Varsity 8 has a brand new boat that they were excited to get out and race. These last two months have been really solid in terms of training and the level of commitment. It's been the strongest with this team since I've been here. Despite the wind and cold, the team was excited to get out and see what they could do. Now that it's going to be another month until the next race, they have the fuel to work to get to the next level." 

While Wojtkiewicz was pleased with the team's performance, he knows there are places the team can still improve. In the next month before Santa Clara returns to the water for a race, the Broncos will focus on reaching their full potential. 

"In the next month we're really going to work on getting our novices a little further along in terms of their boat-moving ability," said Wojtkiewicz. "We had a Novice 4 race this weekend that was a struggle. Those novices are going to mostly be racing in our JV boat so that's absolutely going to be a focus for us. We also want to get the top-end varsity athletes to maximize their potential. We want our seniors to finish their careers in the Varsity 8."

The next race for Santa Clara will be vs. Saint Mary's and UC Davis in Davis, Calif. on April 12. Two weeks later on April 26-27 the Broncos head to Sacramento, Calif. for the WIRA Championships before wrapping-up the season at the WCC Championships on May 17 in Sacramento.