Powerful performances by USC against UCLA and Orange Coast give Crew Pac 10 Heat

On December 7 the Trojan Navy travelled to Newport Harbor, CA to scrimmage Orange Coast College and UC Irvine. With a number of exam conflicts for many of our oarsmen, only the varsity eight crew competed.

The scrimmage would be 2 x 1200 meters with a racing start. While USC easily handled UC Irvine at the Newport Autumn Rowing Festival in early November, Orange Coast finished in 5th place about half a minute ahead of our varsity crew, which finished 6th.

Coast’s novice boat was one of the top six in the nation last year and their varsity crew were one of the top 20 in the country too. Coast varsity won the Cal Cup at the San Diego Crew Classic, an event that USC could not even get a varsity eight together for. And also worth mentioning, Coast entered this season with a boathouse that housed a fleet of 31 shells compared to the Trojan Navy’s three shells.

So, on Pearl Harbor Day when USC’s varsity crew blasted past Orange Coast College to win the first race of the morning by almost a boat-length, the Orange Coast supporters could not have been more devastated. And Trojan fans could not have been more delighted.

To prove it was no fluke, our Trojans, racing in the “James Hoffman ‘52”, turned around and beat Orange Coast and Irvine all over again in the second race. It is official: The Trojan Navy rules Southern California.

The record books will need to be checked but there can be no doubt this was the first victory for a USC Men’s crew over Orange Coast College in well over a decade. Note the “James Hoffman ‘52” is undefeated in its first two starts.

Congratulations Head Coach Gene Kininmonth and his Trojan crew.

The really good news is that our crew is still a very long way from its potential. The Varsity Crew concluded the Fall semester with a 26-5 record. Stanford is next!

Trojans End Fall Season On High

After defeating Orange Coast College on December 7, the Trojan Navy concluded its racing season for the Fall semester the following day with the Novice Crew competing at the Long Beach Christmas Regatta at the Long Beach Marine Stadium.
Despite a brief clash of oars at the start of the race, our Trojans won the final of the novice eight event in a tight finish. The race was approximately 800 meters.

Results:
1st - USC - 2:35.5
2nd - St. Mary’s A - 2:37.3
3rd - San Diego State A - 2:39.4
4th - Cal Maritime - 2:40.9
5th - LB State - 2:47.4
6th - San Diego State B - 3:02.9
7th - St. Mary’s B - 3:03

The Trojan Novice Crew finished the semester with a Fall season record of 22-3. Congratulations to novice coach Brooks Jones and his Trojan oarsmen!