Gold River, CA - April 28, 2025 - The UCLA Men's Rowing team delivered a standout performance this past weekend at the 2025 Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships at Lake Natoma. Racing against a strong field that included both varsity (IRA) and club (ACRA) programs, the Bruins secured multiple podium finishes and showcased the depth and strength of their squad.

In collegiate rowing, IRA (Intercollegiate Rowing Association) programs like Santa Clara University and the University of San Diego are varsity teams that receive athletic department funding, full-time coaching, and significant recruiting advantages. In contrast, ACRA (American Collegiate Rowing Association) programs such as UCLA and regional rival Orange Coast College (OCC) operate as club teams — often student-driven and with fewer resources. Despite these differences, UCLA consistently raced at the highest level, demonstrating the quality and resilience of its program.

Varsity 8 Finishes 4th

UCLA's #3-ranked Varsity 8 battled hard in a stacked Grand Final, finishing fourth with a time of 5:56.944, 4 seconds behind Santa Clara, in a tightly packed finish with USD and OCC. The Broncos took first place by taking a slight lead at the start of the race and extending it down the course. 

Despite missing the podium, 5-seat Gage Saari was pleased and forward thinking, "That was our best race from start to finish. It was well executed and we were able to pull off our best time of the year. We are really looking forward to racing at The University of Washington next week and building our peak speed approaching nationals."

Watch the Varsity 8 Grand Final

Second Varsity - Bronze

In the Second Varsity 8 event the Bruins were the top ACRA boat and finished third behind Santa Clara and San Diego. The order of medalists was established at the 1000 meter mark but WSU made the finish interesting, rowing through OCC in the third 500 and making a run at the Bruins in the last 500 meters. Their strong finish, coupled with their 2 additional lightweight event entries, helped the Cougars win the overall Men's Point trophy. UCLA finished second in the team standings, a scant 10 points behind.

Watch the Second Varsity Grand Final

Varsity 4 Finishes 10th

The UCLA Varsity 4 was the early leader in their Petite Final but were unable to maintain that speed down the course. The eventual winner of the second level final, Sacramento State, and runner-up Oregon were able to draw even at the 1000 meter mark and row through as UCLA was unable to respond. The Bruins paid the price for their jackrabbit start as they were nipped at the line by .08 seconds by Humboldt, but earned coveted team points by finishing 10th out of 21 crews.

Watch the Varsity 4 Petite Final

Novice 8 - Silver

The Novice 8 Grand Final was one of the most exciting races of the day, with #6 UCLA battling head-to-head with #3 Orange Coast College all the way down the course. OCC established an early lead at 500 meters with their coxswain even with the UCLA 2-seat. The young Bruins settled in and moved even with 500 meters to go and surged to the front by 4 seats going into the last 250 meters. The Pirates, however, found an extra gear in the sprint to grab the gold.

The performance showed clear progress: just four weeks ago at the San Diego Crew Classic, UCLA's novices were defeated by 11 seconds by the same OCC crew. The significantly narrowed margin reflects the Bruins' rapid improvement over the spring season and their growing ability to challenge the nation's top novice boats.

Watch the Novice 8 Grand Final

Second Novice 8 - Silver

The Second Novice 8 continued the Bruins' strong showing, earning another silver medal finishing behind OCC and looking to close the gap like their teammates. Stroke seat Zev Meyers likes the trajectory of the training and shares, "We've been getting faster every race and we're excited to catch Coast at ACRA."

Watch the Second Novice 8 Grand Final

Novice 4 - Silver

After a long and loose race in the heats, these boys were looking to continue the legacy of UCLA Men's Rowing and the WIRA Novice 4+. The Novice 4 Grand Final was a boat parade with UCLA finishing second, open water behind Santa Clara and open water ahead of third place USD. Santa Clara takes home the trophy, but the future Bruins can look forward to next years' showdown. 

Watch the Novice 4 Grand Final

Coach Weston Cole praised the effort and execution of the novice squads, commenting: "Solid weekend for the novices at WIRA. We felt prepared going in and were encouraged to see the margins close a bit in both the eights. We will have three weeks to find peak speed and are very much looking forward to that."

Overall, the Bruins' results at WIRA — standing shoulder-to-shoulder with varsity (IRA) programs and leading the way among ACRA competition — reflect the team's depth, grit, and commitment. UCLA continues to build on its proud tradition as one of the nation's premier collegiate club rowing programs.

Looking ahead, the Varsity 8 has been invited to compete at the Opening Day Regatta in Seattle next weekend, an opportunity to showcase the program at a prestigious rowing event. Meanwhile, the rest of the team will shift their focus to final preparations for the ACRA National Championships, scheduled for May 16–18 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Congratulations to all of our athletes, coaches, family, and friends for an outstanding weekend of racing!

Full results are available at ClockCaster.