OCC men’s crew places fifth at IRA championships

CHERRY HILL, N.J. — There would be no miracles Saturday, but the Orange Coast College men’s crew put the finishing touches on an exciting season with a fifth-place performance at the 106th Intercollegiate Rowing Assn. championships on the Cooper River.

OCC raced for the Kennedy Challenge Bowl against an imposing field comprised of collegiate rowing’s traditional superpowers. Washington rowed to a time of 5 minutes, 39.308 seconds to capture the national title for second-varsity eights, narrowly defeating Cal (5:41.530).

Wisconsin took the bronze medal in third at 5:43.925. OCC finished in 5:51.227, sandwiched between the Ivy League’s Harvard (5:49.236) and Brown, which crossed the line in 5:52.298.

Wisconsin, coached by Orange Coast alumnus Chris Clark, won the Varsity Challenge Cup to cap an undefeated season and take the varsity eight national championship. The Badgers came in at 5:31.173 to finish ahead of defending national champ Washington and break the Huskies’ string of 18 consecutive victories. Stanford, coached by OCC alumnus Craig Amerkhanian, finished fifth.

Also at the IRA championships, Loyola Marymount, led by Newport Harbor High products Jill Austin and Jennifer Guess, won the women’s lightweight four national championship. UCLA, with former OCC oarsman Brad Stapleton stroking, finished fifth in the varsity four with cox event.

— From staff reports