GOLD RIVER, Calif. - Two of four Triton boats finished first in their grand final races at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships on Sunday in Gold River. The Triton JV eight and second novice eight boats both went wire-to-wire in their contests for a pair of dominant performances.

The Triton JV eight boat trumped its competitors in an otherwise close race, clocking a time of 6:04.6 in a commanding start-to-finish performance. UCSD finished ahead of second place Gonzaga by a comfortable six seconds. The last boat to cross the finish line was University of San Diego, who finished with a time of 6:25.7.

UC San Diego's second novice eight shell also finished ahead of the field with a time of 6:13, leading its competitors from start to finish. UCLA's "A" boat came in second, trailing the Tritons at 6:16.8.

"It was really good for that second novice eight boat," said Triton head coach Zach Johnson. "They were really pumped up and did a great job."

UCSD's varsity eight captured third place in its contest, coming in behind Gonzaga and USD with a time of 6:08. Gonzaga finished in 5:57.6, and USD secured second place with a mark of 6:05.5. The Tritons led Gonzaga at the 500 meter mark, but the Bulldogs countered at the halfway mark to pull through the finish line. 

"The varsity eight did a really great job, especially when considering the drastic changes we've made to the lineup in recent weeks," said Johnson. 

The fourth Triton boat to compete in a grand final on Sunday was the novice eight, who finished fourth in a six-boat field, clocking a time of 6:14. Orange Coast College took the gold in that race, coming in at 6:04.1. 

"The novice eight boat was pretty disappointing," said Johnson. "They just never got into the race, and it was disappointing for that crew."

Despite the Tritons' two first place grand final finishes on Sunday, UCSD failed to qualify for the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships, which will be held in Camden, N.J. on May 31-June 2.

"Our crew had a good weekend," Johnson said. "We have a lot of young guys with a ton of potential, and we're now putting our focus on next year."

Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships- Day Two
April 29, 2012
Gold River, Calif.

Varsity Eight
1. GU 5:57.6
2. USD 6:05.5
3. UCSD 6:08.0
4. SCU 6:11.1
5. PLU 6:31.5

JV Eight
1. UCSD 6:04.6
2. GU 6:10.4
3. UCSB 6:16.0
4. UCD 6:18.6
5. UCI 6:22.2
6. USD 6:25.7

Novice Eight
1. OCC 6:04.1
2. GU 6:07.1
3. UCLA 6:11.0
4. UCSD 6:14.0
5. UCI 6:15.4
6. WSU 6:30.7

Second Novice Eight
1. UCSD 6:13
2. UCLA "A" 6:16.8
3. OCC 6:17.6
4. WSU 6:30
5. UCI 6:33.9
6. UCSB 6:54.7
7. UCLA "B" 7:06.6