Sooners Crack Top 20 in First CRCA Poll

NORMAN – With a strong performance last weekend at the San Diego Crew Classic, the Oklahoma rowing team enters the first CRCA/US Coaches Rankings of season at No. 19.

The Sooners competed in seven races at the two-day regatta, totaling four top-three finishes.

“The team has been working hard this year and it's great to make it into the top 20 after only one weekend of racing,” head coach Leeanne Crain said. “The challenge ahead is to continue to gain speed and make steady progress in the coming weeks as we build toward conference championships in May. We have a young team so the future looks bright.”

In the boat's lone race of the regatta, the 2V4 picked up OU's lone first place finish on the weekend. They finished nearly nine seconds in front of second-place UCLA and bested a six-team field that included No. 12 USC and Big 12 rival Kansas state.

OU's 2V8 finished second in their first race of the weekend. They defeated Big 12 rival Tennessee by more than a second and fell to second-ranked California. In Sunday's grand final, the squad finished fifth, beating UCLA and finishing less than half a second behind No. 13 Washington State. No. 2 California, No. 3 Texas and No. 12 USC comprised the top three.

The Oklahoma 1V4 earned a pair of top-three finishes at the San Diego Crew Classic. On Saturday, the boat finished second, beating third-place Gonzaga by more than seven seconds and falling to No. 2 California. In the grand final, the Sooners finished third in front of No. 13 Washington State, UCLA and No. 12 USC. They fell to No. 2 California and No. 3 Texas.

The 1V8 picked up a fifth-place finish on Saturday, defeating UCSB by over 12 seconds. On day two, they placed fourth, beating UCSB and San Diego.

The Sooners, who received 54 points, are one of two Big 12 teams in the opening CRCA rankings with Texas slotted at No. 3.

With the San Diego Crew Classic behind it, Oklahoma heads east for the Big 12 Double Dual in Norfolk, Va., on Saturday, April 7.