The Trojan Navy’s varsity crew lost its opening race of the spring season in a dual meet against UC Davis in the Port of Sacramento on March 13.

For USC, the narrow 2-second loss was the first for the men’s varsity eight in ten months and came after a hectic week of midterms for the students just prior to Spring Break.

“We had been hot and cold all week,” added Trojan veteran Tommy Simoneau, who is in his third season with the program. “On race day we just had no rhythm and it seemed like no-one was on the same page as far as the race plan was concerned.”

“We had a horrible start and surprisingly still lead by three seats,” said bowman Kevin Lorell. “Then Davis made a move on us. For the rest of the race it felt like we were just waiting for something to happen to get us going. Nothing did.”

It was an even tougher day for the rest of the USC men’s rowing team. Comprised of six freshmen, the Junior Varsity crew also lost its opening spring race to a more experienced UC Davis crew. The freshmen members of the crew then returned to the starting line to face the daunting task of rallying to race the Freshman Eight event.

“The JV race was the first race of my life,” said freshman oarsman Adam Fish, a walk-on from Philadelphia. “I had no idea what to expect. I think we were more relaxed and raced better in the freshman race. We lead to the 1000m mark but were completely spent at that point and Davis passed us.”

Following the tournament, USC remained in the Port of Sacramento for a weeklong spring break training camp as guests of the UC Davis men’s program.

“We would like to thank the UC Davis team for hosting us for the week,” said Trojan captain William Morris. “From one club program to another, we wish them a terrific season and look forward to racing them again at PAC-10s in May.”

Full Results: USC vs UC Davis

Varsity Eight:
UC Davis 5:55.8
USC 5:57.8

Junior Varsity Eight:
UC Davis 6:09.8
USC 6:21.6

Freshman Eight:
UC Davis 6:20.3
USC 6:32.8.