SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Gearing up for the final races of the 2012 season, Santa Clara men's rowing competed in the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships on April 28 and 29. The Broncos finished the Men's 2nd Varsity Eight Petite race in first place and was runner-up in the Novice Eight Petite, but did not win the title because of finishes in the other races.

"The season has gone well for us," said senior rower Daniel Calvillo. "We have had many new people added to the JV and Varsity boats. This has provided our team with a solid base and speed for the seasons to follow. Unfortunately, we did not meet the goal of winning WIRA's or WCC this season. However, both boats posted the fastest times of the season at WIRA's this past weekend."

Even though the Broncos were unable to come away with a win at WIRA's, the team can take away many positives from the races, including the improvements made since the beginning of the season.

"The greatest improvement has come from the addition of the sophomores and the performance of the juniors," said Calvillo. "The sophomores have developed their skills for the varsity level. The returning members of the varsity team solidified their positions by putting in hard work every practice."

The next challenge for Santa Clara will be the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships on May 12 and 13 at Lake Natoma at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center in Sacramento, Calif.

"PCRC's will be a great challenge for our team," said Calvillo "We are splitting up into smaller boats for that race with different line-ups, so we need to increase our water-time in order to have a set boat. We will prepare for PCRC's with the same types of workouts but with the addition of higher rate pieces to simulate the feeling of an actual race. Our goal for the final race of the season is to post fast times and give people the opportunity to earn racing experience. If we can win one or two of these events we will be in a great position for next season."