San Diego, CA
The Notre Dame Men's Rowing Team made its annual trip to San Diego for the Crew Classic this past weekend, but this trip was different in regards to all previous San Diego trips--this was a business trip for both boats. The 1V8 and 2V8 were the two boats that made the trip. We arrived in San Diego on Friday for a few practice runs on the bay, and the night consisted of boat meetings, relaxation, and homework. The 1V8 raced first on Saturday morning and placed second, qualifying for Sunday's grand final just behind the University of British Columbia. The 2V8 raced later and placed fourth in their heat, qualifying for the petite final.
On Sunday, the 2V8 placed fourth in their petite final, beating UCLA and Orange Coast College and finishing just behind ACRA-rival UC Santa Barbara. The 1V8 raced a few hours later in a close grand final. Also in their grand final were Grand Valley State and Orange Coast College, two teams that routinely make the grand final at ACRAs. The Irish emptied their tanks and placed fourth in the grand final, just two-tenths of a second behind third-place UC San Diego. The 1V8 beat all other club teams in the competition, including GVSU and OCC.
Up to this point in the season, the 1V8 has beaten four out of the eight teams that made the grand final last year at ACRAs. The Team returns to South Bend to continue working towards our goal: improving our ACRA finishes from last year.
The Team is exceptionally grateful to all parents and friends of the team that were able to provide food, drinks, and encouragement over the weekend! It was moving to see the selflessness and generosity emitted by the Notre Dame Family in San Diego. Special thanks to the Notre Dame Club of San Diego for providing a tent and food along the race course!
The Fighting Irish continue their 2017 campaign on April 14th at SIRAs in Oak Ridge, TN.
R'Irish!
