Mission Bay, CA – March 27, 2025 – The UCLA Men's Rowing team is set to make waves at the 2025 San Diego Crew Classic, one of the premier regattas on the West Coast. With multiple boats entered across various divisions, the Bruins are eager to test their speed and endurance against competition from top American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) club teams and Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Division 1 programs.

The Varsity 8 will compete Friday for the ACRA Challenge Cup, facing formidable opponents including a highly anticipated race against Delaware. UCLA was the inaugural winner of the ACRA Challenge Cup and will be defending its title this year. Head Coach Marcel Stiffey emphasized the significance of this matchup: "We are really looking forward to seeing if the guys can repeat winning the ACRA Challenge Cup. This year, we will be having Delaware fly out and race us, so that will be a good gauge on our speed as we monitor what's going on back east. I'm hopeful that the ACRA Challenge Cup turns into a race that really challenges our guys."

On Saturday the Bruins top boat will compete in a Cal Cup preliminary heat against the University of San Diego (IRA) and Long Beach State and San Diego State from the ACRA. UCLA finished well ahead of their regional ACRA rivals at the Newport Regatta earlier this year and beat USD in last year's Cal Cup final.
UCLA's Second Varsity 8 will compete for the Marine Corps Cup, a challenging event that features UCI, UCSB, and UC Davis from ACRA and UCSD, Gonzaga, and USD from IRA. Ronen Rabinowitz, who will row in the two seat of the 2V, shared his thoughts: "San Diego Crew Classic is my favorite regatta. We're excited to test ourselves against Division I schools in the varsity events. I think the team has shown some speed in the last two weeks, and we look forward to leaving it all out on the course."

The Novice 8 crew will be in the chase for the Derek Guelker Memorial Cup but will have to contend with Orange Coast College, UCSB, and SDSU in their preliminary heat. OCC is the event's defending champion and defeated the Bruin Novice 8 earlier this year. The second Novice 8 will also face Orange Coast College, the defending champion in their event, and look to challenge the crew that beat them two weeks ago at the Newport Regatta.  

With a strong novice squad, Coach Weston Cole is eager to see how the younger rowers handle the high-stakes racing environment and their rematch with Orange Coast College: "I am very excited to get some more racing under our belt as the novices prepare to row the first and second 8 this weekend. Finals week presents a challenge with training as a group, but we have had a solid week this week and look forward to seeing how they handle a challenging race environment like San Diego Crew Classic."

The Bruins have also entered a lightweight crew to contend for the Secretary of the Navy Cup, an event they won last time they entered a boat.
With a mix of experienced varsity rowers and up-and-coming novice talent, the Bruins are primed for a strong showing at Mission Bay. The 2025 San Diego Crew Classic promises to be a crucial test as UCLA builds momentum for the rest of the spring season.

Regatta Information https://crewclassic.org/

Live Results https://m.regattamaster.com/#vwResultsBySchedule/1551

Live stream available behind a paywall https://crewclassic.org/live

Lineups
1V8+
C: Maddy Dufour
S: Max Ryan
Nick Ryan
Toby Gajar
Gage Saari
Arun Sinha
Zach Cowger
Pierce Rands
B: Matthew Atwell

2V8+
C: Ava Dufour
S: Wyatt Deverell
Ian Kenneally
Dante Ray
Jackson Foster
Joseph Herro
Christopher Root
Ronen Rabinowitz
B: Dillon Murphy

1N8+
C: Alex McEttrick
S: Cullen Cox
Hayden Santos
Christian Bentinck
Sumaer Dhalla
Reid Krebs
Jagger Winkler
Peter Shores
B: Colin McGhee

2N8+
C: Ana Birmingham
S: Zev Meyers
Ian Williams
Justin Rash
Oeiskie Louis-Cleveland
Jalil Brooks
Elijah Lee
Corey Patton
B: Emmitt Grossbard

LW8+
C: Maria Martins
S: Cullen Cox
Matthew Atwell
Ronen Rabinowitz
Jagger Winkler
Aidan Johnson
Jack Miller
Jacob Faulkner
B: Andrew Josephbek