The UCLA Men's Varsity 8 defeated defending champion George Washington University and 28 other colleges to win the premier event at the ACRA National Championship Regatta on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Recognized as the largest collegiate regatta in the United States, The ACRA National Championship brings together collegiate "club" teams from over 35 states spanning all four corners of the US. The regatta crowns individual boat class and team champions in one of sports most pure examples of amateurism in this country.

UCLA entered a Varsity 8, Second Varsity 8, Novice 8, Varsity 4, and a Lightweight 4 in the 2023 ACRA Championships.

The size of the ACRA Varsity 8 event required a Friday time trial to set the heats. UCLA finished 4th in the time trial and advanced directly to the Saturday semifinals with the others in the top 8. After the second chance heats and semifinals were raced, UCLA lined up against Virginia, Michigan, defending champion George Washington, Notre Dame and Rutgers in Sunday's Grand Final.

Rowing out of lane three, UCLA was able to match the early speed of Michigan off the line. One minute after the start the announcer noted, "UCLA is very definitely wanting to go after this (race)". At the 500 meter mark of the 2000 meter race, UCLA had a 2 seat lead on the tightly packed field, with only Rutgers off the pace.

At the 1000 meter mark UCLA had a half length lead, entering a part of the race where fitness levels are tested. The Bruins responded by moving on the field and extending their advantage. With 500 meters to go, GWU was the only boat in contact with UCLA, their bowball even with stroke Joe Pinto. A furious charge by the Colonials was defended with a well timed call for the Bruin sprint by coxswain Ally Martin and resulted in a 1.5 second victory.

UCLA will be ready to defend its title next year as Head Coach Marcel Stiffey, 2023 ACRA Western Region Coach of the Year, expects all but two Varsity 8 athletes to return. There will be plenty of competition to fill those empty seats from the other Bruin entries.

The Second Varsity 8 advanced by finishing second to Michigan and ahead of Purdue in a very competitive semifinal. They were in the thick of racing in the Grand Final and finished fourth in a race won by Virginia. The lack of a medal finish should not reflect poorly, as the Bruins have not had the depth to field a Second Varsity entry since 2017, when they finished 11th. Like the Varsity 8, all but two athletes will come back.
 

The Novice 8 also missed the medal podium but gained vital racing experience while competing at a high level. They advanced to the semifinals with a close second place finish to Delaware and open water over the rest of the field in Friday's heats. The semifinal was a hotly contested race won by Michigan with trailing UCLA, Orange Coast College, and Purdue only separated by one second. The Grand Final was won with Michigan out dueling Delaware for gold and Virginia squeaking by UCLA for bronze. Orange Coast College and UC Davis filled out the field and finished open water back. The entire crew is expected to return next year.

The Bruin Varsity 4 was facing some stiff competition in the boat class with the most entries. The event is even more challenging because many programs make it a priority and put their four best athletes in the boat. Only two programs among the top 12 finishers in the Varsity 4 entered a Varsity 8, and they finished 11th and 12th in the event. UCLA finished 18th out of 36 entries in the Friday time trial, making a Friday afternoon repechage, or second chance heat, to qualify for the A/B semifinals. Their second place finish in the reps relegated them to the C/D semifinals. They had a narrow 3rd place finish to qualify them for the C level final where they finished 6th, or 18th overall.

UCLA also entered a Lightweight Varsity 4 which finished 5th.

The victory in the Varsity 8, the strong finishes in other events, and last year's ACRA results, mark the return of UCLA Men's Rowing to national prominence, a status this proud tradition enjoyed at the time it was dropped by the athletic department in 1989. UCLA has been competing in rowing since 1933, a legacy of the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. This year marks the team's 90th anniversary.

Video of the UCLA Varsity 8 wire-to-wire win in the National Championships:
https://www.youtube.com/live/SvZ83cpXwwA?feature=share&t=20820

Complete Race Results:
https://herenow.com/results/#/races/21120/results