UCLA Men's Rowing returned to the podium in Boston with a 3rd place finish out of 42 boats in the Collegiate 4 event at the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR).
The Bruin crew of Jack Patzer, Toby Gajar, Nick Ryan, Max Ryan, and coxswain Maddy Dufour were the top student club crew from the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA). The event was won by the varsity crew of the University of San Diego from the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA).
The HOCR is one of the largest rowing events in the World and is held on a three-mile upriver course which features a number of turns, bridges, buoys and boat traffic. The race is completed in a time trial format with a staggered start. The Bruins had bow number 4 based on their finish in 2023 after starting in the back of the pack in 40th position. The expectations were high as there is the advantage of less boat traffic starting at the front.
Defending champion Stetson University (IRA) started the procession across the starting line with USD in close pursuit. George Washington University (ACRA) was third to start and was immediately challenged by UCLA which had already distanced themselves from 5th starting Iona (IRA). The slower GWU crew did not yield to the faster Bruins and impeded their progress but not at the level to incur a time penalty for the rules violation..
Once UCLA passed GWU, which finished 32nd, they were isolated from the competition ahead, faced no challengers from behind, and were left in a lonely race against the clock. Head Coach Marcel Stiffey acknowledged USD was the class of the field, winning by over 26 seconds. Stetson finished 2nd, 8 seconds ahead of the Bruins, with the benefit of no boat traffic and USD chasing them down the course. La Salle (IRA) was 4th and Skidmore (IRA) 5th.
Up next for UCLA Men's Rowing is the Naples Island Collegiate Rowing Challenge, Long Beach, CA on Saturday, November 2, 2024.
Full results here: https://www.regattacentral.com/regatta/results2/eventResults.jsp?job_id=8995&event_id=56
Watch our Bruins again
https://youtu.be/7dgB0Ulh3R0?t=32267
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