BOSTON, Mass. — October 19, 2025 — UCLA men's rowing delivered a strong early-season performance at the Head of the Charles Regatta, finishing 5th out of 40 entries in the Men's Collegiate Four event.

The podium saw varsity programs that compete in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) —  Jacksonville University, Stetson University, and Florida Tech — finish in the top 3 spots. The next three finishers were student clubs from the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) — Texas, UCLA, and Skidmore. Crosstown rival and ACRA member USC finished 19th, over 30 seconds behind the Bruins.

Senior captain Toby Gajar reflected on the crew's performance and what it meant to him personally. "I feel like we threw down a solid piece. It's not the gold medal to end my collegiate Head of the Charles career, but I am happy with the way we rowed."

Veterans Nick Ryan and Max Ryan emphasized competing for UCLA in one of the sport's most iconic venues: "It was a great day on the course, perfect weather and conditions!" said Nick. "We gave it our best and are honored to represent UCLA in Boston." Max added, "Conditions were great! We gave it our best — it's always a great event to be part of."

Coxswain Maria Martins echoed her crew mates, "Despite the result not being quite what we hoped for, I thought we had a solid race and I'm proud of the effort we put in. I think the frustration we feel is only going to fuel the fire as we work harder to get faster."

Head Coach Marcel Stiffey credited the crew for their effort while emphasizing the lessons that come from early-season racing. "On a day when the course record in our event was broken, our team learned their best effort fell short. Early season moments like these prompt me to assess our practice habits. We still have significant work to do in building strength and fitness. In our sport, practice is everything, and I aim to foster a competitive environment that challenges our athletes daily. The overall team has been off to a great start and I'm looking forward to building each athlete up over the course of the next few months."

With the Bruins' top-five finish marking another strong performance at the world's largest regatta of its type, the crew now returns to training in Marina del Rey. The entire team turns full attention to the upcoming Naples Island Collegiate Rowing Challenge on November 15. The fact that UCLA raced nearly even with the ACRA programs and held its own in a field topped by IRA schools signals that the Bruins are trending upward.

Now the focus shifts to turning this early-season momentum and solid result into championship-speed in the spring. With a foundation set in Boston and a sharp focus on growth in strength and fitness ahead of the main season, UCLA men's rowing is poised and motivated.

Complete race results