The men’s and women’s crew teams spent last weekend, April 2-3, in San Diego, Calif. for the San Diego Crew Classic.
The Classic is one of the biggest and most heralded events in collegiate crew.
The men’s varsity eight boat finished second to a British Columbia boat in the final but performed very well. This eight boat shows a great mix of young talent and experienced seniors, and has had a very solid year leading the Dragons through the fall and early spring.
The Vince Vidas boat got into the final by posting a preliminary round time of 6:03.70, which put them in first position heading into the Grand Final.
In the final, they were unable to keep up with the British Columbia boat and finished with a time of 6:18.18, four seconds behind the winner.
The women were able to finish in third place at the San Diego Classic by showcasing their talent on the West Coast, taking the third place finish in the Petite Final behind Bates College (first) and the University of Victoria (second). Seniors Casondra Clawson and Dana Haneman have led this boat to many great finishes throughout their careers, including some international wins.
As their careers wind down they are hoping to have a few more top-notch finishes at the CAA Championships during the last week of April.
The women’s boat had some trouble in the preliminary round and was penalized for leaving its lane, which dropped the Dragons from third to fourth place. They rebounded, however, and finished third in the final on Sunday.
Next up for both the men and women is the Knecht Cup in nearby Camden, N.J. Head coach Paul Savell will send six men’s boats and four women’s boats in the hopes of capturing some more victories.
At this point in the season, a lot of the races are to ensure spots in the various championships held at the end of the season.
The Dragons had a very good fall season and have gotten off to a strong start to the spring; now they will prepare for some of the bigger races of the year in April and May.
The Knecht Cup is hosted by Villanova University and over 50 schools from around the country will attend. Schools such as the University of Wisconsin, Temple University and the University of North Carolina will be there to compete in this race.
This is one of two remaining events that will allow Savell to prepare his team for the prestigious Dad Vail Regatta.
The Dad Vail is held on the Schuylkill, and is one of the biggest events in Philadelphia every year for high school, college and other amateur rowers around the world.
It certainly something to look forward to.