Mixed results for Pirate men's crew at San Diego Crew Classic

SAN DIEGO -- There were some positive (and not-so positive) performances for the Orange Coast College men's crew this past weekend at the San Diego Crew Classic in Mission Bay.

On Saturday, Coast launched four boats into competition and three of the four qualified for each race's grand final.

Leading the way for the Pirates was the Second Novice 8, who qualified for the grand final and topped the field in convincing fashion, finishing the 2,000-meter race with a winning time of 6 minutes, 44.88 seconds, a full five lengths ahead of runner-up Cal, who clocked in with a time of 6:57.46. The Second Novice 8 consisted of Chase Parker, Alden Stoneman, Stephen Hospedales, Mitch Holt, Clayton Holmes, David Duffy, Hayden Hill Noah Greenslit and William Brown (coxswain).

The Novice 8 qualified  for the grand final and from lane 6, the Pirates put forth a strong effort and finished third with a time of 6:19.44, trailing only Cal (5:54.35) and Stanford (6:12.71) and finished well ahead of ACRA competitor, the University of Michigan (6:23.79).

In the Second Varsity 8 grand final, Coast started out strong in the first 1,000 meters, but faded slightly down the stretch and finished fifth with a time of 6:27.46.

In the final race of the weekend, the Varsity 8, Coast advanced to the grand final by winning its preliminary heat on Saturday, but struggled at the start on Sunday and could never recover, eventually finishing seventh with a time of 6:10.86.

"There were some ups and downs this weekend, but I think we learned some valuable lessons and experiences as a team that will serve us well as we continue towards the championship regattas at the end of the season," head coach Cam Brown said. 

Coast will return to Newport Harbor this weekend and will host UC Irvine for the 2017 Collins Cup, beginning at 7 a.m.