Pirates battle to the end at 2026 Berg Cup

NEWPORT BEACH -- Under near-perfect conditions, the Orange Coast College women's crew put forth a strong effort against some of the top four-year programs in the region as the Pirates hosted the 2026 Berg Cup down at Newport Harbor on Saturday morning.

By the narrowest of margins, it was UC Irvine who took home the big trophy, earning 22 points throughout the regatta, with the host Pirates just a point short at 22. UC Santa Barbara finished third overall with 16 points, followed by San Diego State (8), Loyola Marymount (7) and Long Beach State (6).

"The OCC Women's Rowing Team put on a good show this weekend, putting out much faster times, and a with crew that refuses to stay behind," OCC head coach, Laura Behr, said. "This weekend we didn't just race—we showed how quickly a team can grow when everyone pulls together. This weekend was a great way to start off racing season with our annual Berg Cup." 

Coast competed in three of the four races for the morning and earned a first-place finish as well as a pair of second-place finishes, with both of those coming right down to the wire.

The regatta opened with the Varsity 4 race, where a trio of boats -- LMU, OCC and UCSB A -- battled each other throughout the entire 2,000-meter race. In the end, the Lions prevailed with a time of 8 minutes, 1.8 seconds, with the Pirates less than 2 seconds behind at 8:03.4. UCSB (A) was right behind Coast at 8:05.6, while UCSB (B) (8:24.0) and SDSU (8:26.8) were well behind at the finish line. OCC rowers were Kathryn Henry, Paige Hasegawa, Madison Garner, Katelyn DeRosas and Margrett Thai (coxswain).

Up next came the Novice 8, where San Diego State cruised to a 28-second win over the rest of the field at 8:04.6, followed by UCI (8:32.5), Long Beach State (8:37.6) and UCSB (8:58.9).

It was a two-boat showdown in the next race, the Novice 4, between OCC and Loyola Maramount. In the end, it was no contest as the Pirates cruised to a 17-second win over the Lions (8:56.4) with a winning time of (8:39.0). The OCC rowers were Keeley Bourcy, Genevieve Pettite Gardner, Alexis Taylor, Kate McAllister and Addison Haught (coxswain).

Following a quick break, it all came down to the final race of the morning, the Varsity 8 with a full six-boat field in the mix. Two boats quickly pulled away from the field, with UCI in front and the host Pirates right behind them. Through the middle portion, UCI maintained a few-seconds of lead time, but the Pirates were quickly inching their way up to the Anteater boat. Coming down to the final meters, the UCI boat was able to hang on and win by just over ONE second and win the Berg Cup with a time of 7:11.8, followed by OCC (7:12.9), UCSB (7:24.0), Long Beach State (7:27.2), San Diego State (7:47.5) and UCI (B) (8:10.3). The OCC rowers were Madison Garner, Klara Kettler, Kathryn Henry, Saelah Pescevic, Elizabeth Anderson, Paige Hasegawa, Madyson Fitch, Katelyn DeRosas and Margrett Thai (coxswain).

Coast will return to action on Saturday and Sunday, March 28-29 at the Crew Classic down in San Diego, beginning at 7 a.m.