PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Santa Clara University men's crew claimed an impressive showing in the novice eight Saturday, claiming a fourth-place finish in the championship final at the Dad Vail Regatta. In addition, the men's varsity eight finished sixth in the second final repachage with a time of 6:24.99.

Set on the scenic Schuylkill River in Fairmount Park, the Dad Vail is the largest collegiate regatta in the United States, with over 100 colleges and Universities from the U.S. and Canada.

The Broncos finished second in their semifinal heat with a time of 6:06.9, finishing just six seconds behind local favorite St. Joseph's University. In the final, Santa Clara finished fourth with a time of 6:12.45. Marietta College won the race in a time of 6:04.77.

"Our novice eight had an outstanding performance and raised a lot of eyebrows at the regatta," said head coach Tony Barcia. "Finishing fourth in such a strong field represents a major accomplishment for this group of athletes and is directly related to the great work that the Novice coach Dan Plaine has done this year. Most likely, several of the novice men's crews from this event will finish towards the top at the national championships in June."

In Friday's first round race, the Broncos posted a time of 6:01.7, which was the second-fastest time of the day for any eight-man boat regardless of classification.

Men's Novice Eight
Semifinal Heat 2 of 3 (top 2 advance to final)
1. St. Joseph's, 6:00.6
2. Santa Clara, 6:06.9
3. Army, 6:15.8
4. Boston College, 6:17.0
5. Lafayette, 6:31.6

Final - Lev Brett Bowl
1. Marietta, 6:04.77
2. St. Joseph's, 6:08.61
3. Purdue, 6:10.8
4. Santa Clara, 6:12.45
5. Drexel, 6:29.52
6. Delaware, 6:35.54

Men's Varsity Eight
Repachage 2nd Final
1. Minnesota, 6:08.91
2. Florida Tech, 6:16.42
3. St. Joseph's, 6:18.76
4. Drexel, 6:20.42
5. Northwestern, 6:6:24.00
6. Santa Clara, 6:24.99