Men and women of Row 8 looking to move ahead

Junior Kevin Vanes seems to be the leader of the bunch in Row 8. After finishing third at the individual time trials, he will have to work from the inside to get Acacia to the front pack.\nNo. 22 Acacia 2:48.44\nAcacia is led by Vanes, who placed third in the ITTs with a time of 2:33.00. The team will have to work hard to reach the front of the pack, starting in 22nd place. They said they hope experience will help them work their way up. They have set lofty goals to meet these expectations.\n"We are racing to have fun, but our ultimate goal is to win," Vanes said. "We trained too hard. We have experience, which should play a big help. This is a race like no other."\nThe only rookie riding for Acacia is sophomore Ryan Brown. Sophomore Tyler Burke and junior Kirk Habegger look to add fuel to the fire.\nWhile the weather in San Diego was not as nice as the Acacia team had hoped, the team said it used to trip as an opportunity to prepare for the race. \nNo. 23 Phi Kappa Psi 2:48.70\nJunior Tom Dozois carries the experience for Phi Kappa Psi, as the only veteran rider. While rookie Matt Johnson seems to have earned a spot in the race, Dozois said, senior Jeff Jacobs, sophomore Stephen Flanagan and junior Chris Burnett are fighting for the final two positions.\nWhen the race starts, the team plans to be ready. A more cautious approach to qualifications set it in the 23rd spot. \n"We are mostly rookies," Dozois said. "We just wanted to play it safe and get in the race.\n"We need to avoid penalties, which should be easy, and also try to avoid wrecks if we want to get in the top 10."\nNo. 24 Mezcla 2:49.10\nMezcla will have its work cut out for it this year. The team, which is all rookies, is down to three riders after one member quit. But team members have an optimistic outlook.\n"We have never even seen a race before, so it will be interesting," sophomore Mike Nishimura said. "We were happy to qualify 24th, because we just wanted to get in the race." \nFreshman John Camacho and senior Fernando Urzua make up the remainder of the squad. The team works out six days a week, along with extensive rides.\nThis is all on top of the time the team spends at the track, Nishimura said.