OCC boat tops field

WORCHESTER, Mass. ? Orange Coast College’s second novice eight boat topped the field in the grand final to lead the Pirates in the two-day East Coast Athletic Conference National Invitational Rowing Championships, completed Sunday on Lake Quinsigmond.

The Pirates’ second novice eight completed the 2,000-meter course in six minutes, 11.58 seconds, just more than three seconds ahead of New York-based Trinity.

The winning boat, which weathered rainy, windy conditions, consisted of Greg Schneider, David Burden, Richard Lund, Leland Martin, Tyler Johnson, Jeremey Moultrup, Michael Vaughn, Brandon Farmer and coxswain Siera Fujimara.

The Pirates’ first novice eight finished third in the grand final, clocking a time of 6:08.12.

Trinity won the race in 5:58.54, followed by UC San Diego (6:08.15).

OCC’s varsity eight boat placed 13th among 24 schools, essentially winning the consolation championship after failing to advance to the upper-tier semifinals in qualifying heats on Saturday.

The Pirates’ varsity eight finished its “third-level” final in 5:59.00, which Coach Larry Moore said would have been in the top five in the grand final. dpt-occrew15.IMGGraphicInfoLM1QV27L20060515LM1QV27LNo Caption