OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - In day two of the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Championships, the UC San Diego oarswomen displayed strong performances in both the varsity eight C final and varsity four grand final races. Gaining confidence and experience against top crews in Tennessee, the Tritons are looking forward to next weekend's conference championships.

"It was good, hard racing today," said UCSD head coach Pattie Pinkerton. "Our young crew responded very well to the weekend's challenges."

UCSD's varsity eight solved the source of yesterday's struggles, finishing second out of six crews in today's C final contest. The Tritons came in at 7:04.19, beating out NCAA Division I programs from Georgia Tech and William and Mary. The Grand Valley club crew won the race, clocking a time of 6:56.30.

"It was great to see our varsity eight fix the problem in the last 500 meters," Pinkerton said. "We're pretty excited that we finished in the top half of the 28-boat field."

After an outstanding performance in Saturday's heat and semifinal races, the Triton varsity four qualified for the grand final race. UCSD crossed the finish line at 8:04.89, finishing sixth in the six-boat field. Nova Southeastern, which is currently ranked fourth in the NCAA D-II polls, finished first in the race, coming in at 7:31.70. Fellow D-II foe Mercyhurst, ranked No. 2, came in fifth, edging the Tritons with a time of 7:55.95.

"The varsity four didn't feel as good as they did yesterday," Pinkerton said. "They raced in the worst conditions of the day. But after the weekend's performance, both they and the varsity eight are pumped for WIRAs."

UCSD will now compete in the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships Apr. 28-29, facing crews in their conference for a chance to row at the NCAA Division II National Championships.

Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Championships - Day Two
April 22, 2012
Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Varsity Eight C Final
1. Grand Valley (club) 6:56.30
2. UCSD 7:04.19
3. Georgia Tech 7:08.52
4. William and Mary 7:09.24
5. Jacksonville 7:12.24
6. Washington U. 7:13.20

Varsity Four Grand Final
1. Nova SE 7:31.70
2. K. State 7:35.59
3. GWU 7:38.72
4. FSU 7:47.67
5. Mercyhurst 7:55.95
6. UCSD 8:04.89