March 31, 2012
San Diego Crew Classic Results
STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford men's rowing completed the first day of action at the San Diego Crew Classic Saturday, and will send a pair of boats into Sunday's finals.
The I and II Eights qualified in heats and will compete Sunday for the Copley Cup and the Sharp Cabrillo Cup, respectively.
The Frosh Eight missed a spot in the Derek Guelker Memorial Cup by one slot in the heats, but bounced back to win the petite final in the late afternoon.
"This morning our varsity eight blasted out of the blocks and didn't let up," said Stanford men's rowing head coach Craig Amerkhanian. "The racing was fierce and we are sitting in lane 4 for the Sunday final. It was a proud moment for me watching the men represent and express their fitness. They raced well in both events. Tomorrow we will continue to build and do our best as we pursue team excellence."
The I Eight finished second in the second heat of the competition with a time of 6:02.165, just under five seconds behind California. The Cardinal will compete in Sunday's final at 9:40 a.m. against the Golden Bears, Harvard, Navy, Cornell and Michigan.
Stanford's II Eight grabbed its spot in the Sharp Cabrillo Cup finals with a third-place finish in its Saturday heat. The Cardinal boat crossed the line in a time of 6:10.95, 10 seconds behind California. Sunday's final will get off at 10 a.m. between Stanford, California A, California B, Harvard, Cornell and UC Davis.
The Frosh Eight finished third with a time of 6:27.61 in its heat Saturday morning, but with a large field and three heats, a top-two finish was needed to advance to Sunday's final. However, the Cardinal came back to win its petite final in the afternoon, defeating Orange Coast College A, Notre Dame, Santa Clara, San Diego State and UC Santa Barbara with a winning time of 6:24.53.