SAN DIEGO, Calif, - The first day of the San Diego Crew Classic took place Saturday, April 1. The Torero men performed well throughout the morning of racing. Race conditions were calm and sunny in the morning with light wind picking up into the afternoon.

The varsity eight boat placed second in their heat with a time of 6:17. The crew was seven seconds off powerhouse Santa Clara, but ahead of UC Irvine, Vanderbilt, Boston College and Colorado. Their second place finish earned them a spot in the Grand Final Sunday at 10:08 a.m.

The second varsity eight finished third in their heat. The men crossed the line at 6:09 behind Stanford and Michigan and in front of UC San Diego and Colorado. These Toreros will compete in the Petite Final Sunday at 8:48 a.m.

The open men's eight raced in the afternoon at 12:12 pm. They competed against seven different programs, all of which proceed to the Grand Final Sunday at 1:36 p.m. The men finished seventh with a time of 6:47.

"I'm really happy with how all three eights did this morning," said Head Coach Brooks Dagman. "I saw some really good racing across the board. While we were stuck in some pretty tough heats, everyone advanced well. I'm looking forward to Sunday!"

Tomorrow racing starts early and end early in the afternoon. Tacos will be served at the USD tent to anyone wearing USD gear after the competition ends.

Complete results

V8+ lineup: Kai Morse, Connor Olson, Nick Watson, Nick Bea, Parker Danz, Jack Pokalsky, Sam Stephens, Matt Kaumeyer, Konrad Altvater 2V8+ lineup: Will Graf, Luke Uetrecht, Jack Posthauer, Owen Chase, Jack Orr, Griffin Daniel, James Davenport, Luke Walbeck, Pierce Salamack Open 8+ lineup: Fiona Murphy, Simon Finnie, Stephen Wainwright (USD '13), Max O'toole, Sam Jones, Evan Ferree, Grant Morris, Evan Nassar, Mike Darby