SAN DIEGO — San Diego men's rowing traveled up to Newport Beach over the weekend for the first race of the spring season for its Freshman Four. The crew finished 2nd in the event.

"I'm really proud of our guys," head coach Bart Thompson said after the race. "The majority of this crew are true novices, meaning that this is their first year in the sport. The adjustment of learning a new sport is hard enough, but doing so at the varsity collegiate level takes a lot of time and energy, and these guys have adapted wonderfully."

The crew entered the Men's Novice Four event, which kicked off at 7:20 AM. The crew--composed of Kacen Hamada, Kosta Selk Anagnos, Michael Muncey, and Cullen Pow, with Conor Fox coxing--raced in a starboard-stroked lineup.

Starting in Lane 5, the crew flew out of the starting blocks, passing the 500-meters-in mark in a near-tie for the lead with Orange Coast College. OCC pulled away in the middle of the race, securing the victory, but the Toreros finished in the silver medal position. Arizona State, Loyola Marymount, and UCLA rounded out the field.

"Our guys started well, coming through the 500m in a great position. But as with many young crews, we were a bit frantic and didn't settle into our base rhythm well enough," remarked Thompson. "But I'm pleased with the work from our guys; for their first college race it was an excellent result. They have a lot to be proud of."

The crew's next race will be against Santa Clara on April 7th, while the Varsity Eight will race in the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic on the weekend of April 1st-2nd.