NAC claims national titles

Southern California, and not the East Coast, appears to be the rowing capital of the United States.

The Newport Aquatic Center boys’ varsity eight and lightweight eight boats provided proof. They finished first in the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championship at Lake Harsha in Cincinnati, Ohio over the weekend.

This is the third time in the 20-year history of the event a varsity eight boat repeated as national champion and the first time a program has won both the varsity and lightweight eights in the same year, according to NAC Coach Nick D’Antoni.

“In the wider rowing world, Southern California is not well known or well respected until recently,” D’Antoni said. “If I said to my friends and associates in rowing in four years that Newport would’ve won the national championship back-to-back, I would’ve been laughed out of the room.”

Prior to the final, D’Antoni said the varsity eight boat struggled and had “a significant amount of cobwebs that needed to be shaken off” because of a four-week layoff since its regional qualifier.

“We spent that evening really talking about how to close the race — how to seal the deal,” D’Antoni said after the semifinal race at nationals. “Then they came out and I think they had probably one of the strongest races they’ve had all season in the final.”

In the final, the team finished first with a time of 5 minutes, 57.67 seconds, defeating Phillips Andover Academy (5:59.24) and Kent School (6:00.30).

The lightweight eight finished with a time of 6:10.99 defeating Marin Rowing Assn. (6:11.22) and Community Rowing, Inc. (6:15.47).

D’Antoni said he contemplated swimming out to the boat after his friends threw him in the water as a celebratory gesture, but didn’t want to get the boys disqualified.

“I was standing on the water considering swimming out to the boat and then thought, ‘There isn’t an excessive celebration penalty, but that might be a little excessive,’ ” he said. “I don’t necessarily want to enrage anyone or get disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct.”

But even though the varsity eight oarsmen came together to finish first over the weekend, they nearly had to row without one of their teammates.

A.J. Brooks, a senior at Newport Harbor High, almost didn’t make it for nationals because he had mononucleosis during the last week of the four-week layoff.

“At first, everybody thought that it’s over, but [Brooks] refused to admit defeat, refused to not go,” D’Antoni said. “If anybody could’ve done it, it would’ve been him.”

D’Antoni said everyone on the boat is a great athlete, but Brooks and another Newport Harbor senior, J.P. Hogan, led the way.

“J.P. Hogan is going to Harvard,” D’Antoni said. “He’s an incredibly bright guy. He’s extremely mature for an 18-year-old. [He’s] a great problem solver and a great leader.”

Brooks will row for the University of Washington next year.

“I’ve invested a lot of personal capital on all of them,” D’Antoni said. “Seeing them succeed is really, really rewarding for me. They’ve done everything they can do in high school rowing now.”

NAC varsity eight: Kevin Cox (Corona del Mar senior headed to Princeton), Alex Burjakowsky (Northwood High senior headed to Orange Coast College), Ross Bell (Palos Verdes High senior headed to UC San Diego), Ben Gordon (University High senior headed to UC Berkeley), Garrett Rinden (Newport Harbor High senior headed to the University of Washington), Eric Chebil ( Mater Dei High senior headed to the University of Washington), J.P. Hogan (Newport Harbor senior headed to Harvard), A.J. Brooks (Newport Harbor senior headed to the University of Washington) and coxswain Michael Delahanty (Corona del Mar High sophomore).

NAC lightweight eight: Sean Martinez (junior, Mater Dei), Stuart Newsom (junior, Newport Harbor), Garrett Pickard (junior, Newport Harbor), John Hold (junior, Mater Dei), Cameron Zachary (junior, University High), Rory Kew (junior, Mater Dei), Connor Reid (Laguna Beach High senior headed to Northfield Mount Herman School), Morgan Boman (Corona del Mar High senior headed to Orange Coast College) and coxswain Alexa Moss (junior, Corona del Mar High).