Two NAC boats victorious

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. ? Costa Mesa resident Will Preleau and Newport Beach resident Evan Fullerton combined to win the boys’ varsity doubles event Sunday at the U.S. Rowing Southwest Regional Junior Championship Regatta on Lake Natoma.

Fullerton and Preleau, representing the Newport Aquatic Center, completed the 2,000-meter course in seven minutes, 5.7 seconds. They were nearly one second faster than the runners-up in the seven-boat final.

The victory qualified the two local oarsmen to compete in the National Youth Championships, June 9-11 near Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Newport Aquatic Center also earned another victory Sunday, as the boys’ novice eight boat led from start to finish to win its final.

The NAC boat, consisting of Will Harrison, Dylan Sheehan, Sam Prescott, Clay Adler, Christian Holbrook, A.J. Brooks, Breck Wight, Jon Hall, and coxswain Alex Burjakowsky, finished in 6:11.1, more than four seconds faster than the second-place finisher.

Novice boats do not compete at the National Youth Championships.

Several NAC rowers concluded competition Saturday at the regatta that featured 32 teams representing schools and clubs from California and Arizona.

The junior varsity eight finished second among 16 teams, just one second off the pace of victorious St. Ignacias, NAC Coach Larry Moore said.