SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The UC San Diego men’s crew put together an amazing effort at the San Diego Crew Classic this weekend on Mission Bay. With an open water victory over cross-town rival University of San Diego in Sunday’s grand final, the varsity eight recaptured the Cal Cup and asserted themselves as one of the premier units in collegiate rowing. The junior varsity eight and novice squads also were victorious, with the JV winning the petite final over UC Davis and the novices narrowly holding off Michigan.
 
The varsity eight’s win in the Cal Cup came after trailing Sacramento State slightly during the first 500 meters. The Tritons drew even by the halfway point and then pulled away during the third-quarter. UCSD cruised to the win with a final time of 6:28.18, nearly three seconds in front of USD, which finished at 6:31.04. Orange Coast College placed third in the event, followed by Santa Clara, Sacramento State, and UCLA. 

The varsity eight crew of Andrew Hilton, Ryan Andre, Jay Dee Morgan, Jeff Collett, Kris Grey, Nathan Morgan, Karam Badran, Justin Gordon and coxswain Cameran Biltucci secured UCSD a spot in next year’s prestigious Copley Cup with the win. The Tritons appeared in the Copley Cup in 2008 after a victory in the Cal Cup in 2007, but were not invited back to the event this year.

“We were told that we weren't competitive enough,” head coach Zach Johnson said. “They're looking for a grand race with big-name schools from across the country. Hopefully they'll start looking a little closer to home. This is nice justification.”
 
The junior varsity eight was equally impressive, completing the petite final with a time of 6:28.7, ahead of the Aggies’ 6:34.27.  Santa Clara, UCLA, Colorado, and the Triton’s junior varsity “B” squad rounded out the top-six finishers in the event.  The novices completed their race on Saturday with a time of 6:20.10, while Michigan clocked at 6:21.26.
 
The Tritons return to action on Saturday, April 18 when they take part in the 44th annual Newport Regatta in Newport Beach, Calif. UCSD will then shoot for a sixth straight San Diego City Championship on April 19 at Mission Bay.