Redwood Shores, Ca- The Varsity 8 struggled in the 2nd 1000 meters of its three races this past weekend. First against UC-San Diego the Bruins took a lead into the 2nd 5oo meters but could not hold it as the Tritons took control of the race in the 3rd 500 and finished 7 seconds ahead of UCLA. The afternoon match up was against the 5th ranked Stanford V8. Again, the Bruins were able to challenge in the first 1000 meters but were unable to stay with the Cardinal pace. Sunday brought the only match up with Gonzaga this year and saw the crews seesaw back and forth into the 3rd 500. Gonzaga made a big push there and were able to break clear, eventually winning by 10 seconds. “We put together some very good first thousands this weekend but not a full 2k,” stated Coach Mokha. “We will have to find a way of being a little more consistent throughout the race.”

The 2nd Varsity also raced UC-San Diego Saturday morning and was unable to match them in the last 750 meters. The afternoon brought Stanford and the Cal Lightweights. The Bruins were battling with Cal while Stanford took a comfortable lead early. Cal finished second with UCLA third. Sunday was the JV’s best race of the weekend as they went back and forth with Gonzaga into the last 500 meters when Gonzaga was able to make one last push to get a ¾ of a length win. “I was glad to see the JV come out and fight this morning. This is the speed they are capable of when they row focus and get into a rhythm,” said Coach Mokha.

The Novice 8 only race on Saturday was a match up with a UC-San Diego crew loaded with recruits. They fought hard and put in their fastest time of the year but were unable to match the Triton’s base speed. UCSD pulled ahead to an 8 second win. On Sunday the Bruin novices again saw themselves racing a Gonzaga crew with 6 recruits in the boat. They were too much for the UCLA crew and had open water by the 1000 meter mark. “Today was not a good row for the guys but I am very pleased with our progress week-to-week. These were tough match-ups for us but we have improved our speed dramatically since our first race and see more speed to come,” said Coach Hermann.

The Bruins next competition is the San Diego Crew Classic April 4-5.