Pirates fight hard at SD Crew Classic
SAN DIEGO -- The Orange Coast College men's crew took on all comers at the 2016 San Diego Crew Classic and in the end, the Pirates earned several strong times for their efforts.
OCC's Novice 8 "B" squad advanced to their finals and there, the Pirates rolled to a winning time of 7 minutes, 8.07 seconds, topping runner-up UC Santa Barbara (7:19.95) by over 11 seconds. Coxswain Riley Ritchie helped guide the Pirate eight of Garrett O'Neill, Jose Llanes, Joshua Baar, David Elder, Bryan Fullam, Troy Harding, Ryan Russell and Grant Midstokke through the tough conditions of the Mission Bay.
OCC's Varsity 8 battled UC San Diego and UC Davis the entire length of the 2,000-meter race, but in the end, the end, the Pirates settled for third place with a time of 6:44.51, behind UCSD (6:34.5) and UC Davis (6:41.23).
In the Novice 8 Final, Coast again battled a tough field and a tougher currant and settled for a fifth-place result and a time of 6:52.41.
Coast also participated in the Men's Open Grand Final and there, the Pirates finished seventh overall with a time of 7:06.36.
Up next for the Pirates will be a matchup with UC Irvine at Newport Harbor for the 2016 Collins Cup, beginning at 8 a.m.
