Vallejo, CA – The California Maritime Academy (CMA) Men’s and Women’s Crew Teams raced to victory in two races today.  The Mixed 4 team and the Men’s Novice 4 team both placed first in their races, while the Men’s Novice 8, Men’s Open 8 and another Mixed 4 team all placed third in their competitions.  CMA also competed in the Women’s Open 4 and Men’s Open 4 races.  (Note: A mixed team includes both male and female rowers.)
    “I’m very proud of what these rowers have accomplished today and over the season,” says fourth-year coach Mike Tressel.  “We’re a small school competing with national powerhouses, the David among Goliaths.” 
     A climax to the fall season and an introduction to the spring sprints season, the Christmas Regatta was an 850-meter course, over in a blink of an eye in comparison to the 5-kilometer courses CMA competed in earlier in the fall.
     Overall, Cal Maritime posted solid results throughout the fall racing season, including the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston.  With a student population less than half of the closest competitors, and with limited practice time, CMA nonetheless competed closely with much larger schools, including Yale, Harvard, UC Berkeley, Stanford, and San Diego State.