September 20: A Morning on the Water, and an Evening Watching Football

The Aztecs have three exciting events coming up to help celebrate 100 years of Aztec Rowing. First, there is the annual Alumni Day on Saturday Sept. 20 from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM at the H. Del Beekley Rowing Center on Mission Bay’s Santa Clara Point. The day will feature SDSU alums racing against today’s Aztec Rowing Club. Can we get at least one men’s and one women’s alumni boat out on the water? There is a rumor some USD alums may show up to challenge us. (We suspect they’re bitter about all the shirts they have donated to our program and are seeking revenge.)

That evening, the SDSU Associated Students have invited Aztec Rowing alumni, supporters and parents to meet at The Sycuan Piers inside Snapdragon Stadium for the SDSU-Cal football game. Kickoff is at 7:30 PM. To access The Sycuan Piers area on the south end of the stadium, each person must have a ticket to the game. If you are not a season ticket holder, it is suggested you purchase a general-admission ticket and also pay $25 for The Piers. Tickets can be purchased and the fee paid at SDSU Football’s website and Piers tickets can be purchased at ticket kiosks at the stadium. The Piers is a large, covered area with access to food and drinks. We will have the team banner hanging, as well as the poster to show our success in our Celebrating 100 Years of Aztec Rowing fundraising campaign — 100 donors giving $1,000 a year for five years.

Paid parking is available at Snapdragon, although many people think the San Diego Trolley is the best way to get to and from the stadium.

Both of Saturday’s events will be a great opportunity to talk with Coaches Scott Walsh, Tracy Falkenthal and Jack Neuhaus, as well as share old rowing stories with former teammates and today’s rowers.

Please RSVP for the Alumni Row and Football game on our Facebook Event Page

November 9: The San Diego Fall Classic, and a Boat Christening:

On Sunday, Nov. 9 at the San Diego Fall Classic regatta, we’ll not only get to see the returning Aztec varsity rowers in action, but the SDSU novices will also have an opportunity to demonstrate their potential. And we’ll be christening our latest addition to the Aztec fleet, a Pocock 8, the Russ Young ’79. It’s the third of four “new”* boats that will be used by SDSU crews this year. Late last year, Russ, his partner Shyla Miller and The Boeing Company — Russ is the retired Director of Communications for Boeing — provided the funds for two other “new” boats: a Pocock 4+, the Darlene Disney, and a Hudson 8, the Ed Ecker. 

This will be a wonderful opportunity to both see the Aztec Rowing Club in action, and to participate in the boat christening.

And There’s More Good News …

Aztec alumnus Mike Trempe has committed funds for a fourth “new”* shell. Those funds will be used to replace Mike’s cousin’s eight-oared namesake, the Ronald Dietz. The Dietz has been in service for the Aztecs for many years. Although the current Dietz is nearing retirement, the coaching staff plans to keep it on the water as long as possible, as we expect a large class of new recruits this fall.

*”New” is in quotation marks because our coaching staff has been able to acquire high quality, well-maintained used racing shells to expand and upgrade our fleet, helping stretch the donated funds further.

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San Diego Crew Classic is Concluded!

The Aztec Men and Women have completed racing against dozens of colleges at the 2025 Crew Classic!  The 2025 Crew Classic is the most successful performance by the Aztecs in recent memory. The outstanding performance of all of our crews, the dedication of two additional boats to an ever-improving fleet, and an overwhelming presence of Aztec support made this regatta truly special. It was a wonderful weekend of racing, bbq, and catching up with old friends. Thank you to all our supporters who make this team possible.

The Final Results are as follows:

• Friday 3/28
  • ACRA Men’s Collegiate 8+ Invitational
    • SDSU took 4th, coming in 9 seconds behind UCSB and beating the 5th place LMU boat by almost 30 seconds
  • ACRA Women’s Collegiate 8+ Invitational
    • SDSU took 2nd to UCSB while beating the 3rd place LMU boat by 19 seconds
• Saturday 3/29
  • @11am-12pm – Burgers at the tent for team, parents and alumni
  • @1PM – Boat Christenings: The “Darlene Disney” and the “Ed Ecker”, at the Crew Classic awards stage
  • @4:30PM – Aztec Rowing Centennial Celebration Banquet
• Sunday 3/30
  • Men’s Varsity 8+ Active&Fit Now™ Cal Cup (Final B)
    • SDSU took 5th in the petite final, 24 seconds behind UCI and beating ASU by 3 seconds.
  • Men’s Novice 8+ Derek Guelker Memorial Cup (Final B)
    • SDSU took 1st in the petite final, 12 seconds ahead of UCI and well ahead of ASU.
  • @Women’s DII/DIII/Club Collegiate 4+ (Final)
    • SDSU won the grand final, 31 seconds ahead of UC Davis.

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Aztec Rowing Centennial Banquet

The team, families, and alumni met Saturday night for a wonderful dinner at the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center. A full house of 160 attendees shared stories of race days past, met our extensive roster of former national team members, and heard from the current coaches about the team. The team also named their 2025 Captains, pictured below!

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Beekley Foundation Annual Meeting Sunday at the Alumni Tent

The Annual Meeting is an important discussion of the state of the program and Foundation, and is key to continuing the positive impact of the Foundation. This year’s meeting took place on Sunday, March 30th at the Crew Classic. During the meeting, the Board reviewed the state of the foundation and team, before moving towards elections for the 2025-2026 Board.
The 2025-2026 Board is as follows:

President: Kris Corley
Vice President: Steve Lewis
Treasurer: Andy Olson
Secretary: Bernard Aparicio
At-Large #1: Russ Young
At-Large #2: Logan Gonzalves

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Boat Dedications

The team christened the “Darlene Disney” and “Ed Ecker” – thank you to all those who attended and made this possible!

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Up Next

SDSU Rowing is now preparing for WIRAs, and will be traveling to Sacramento 4/26 to race. The team is excited to continue its stellar performance this year, and keep building momentum into the last few races of the season.

WIRA’s start list and results can be found here: CLOCKCASTER
General Regatta Info: 2025 WIRA

From Head Coach Scott Walsh!
“WIRAs preps are going well. We’re racing eights for varsity men, varsity women and 2V men, and fours for varsity men, varsity women and novice men. It’s worth noting that our varsity women’s 8 and 4 and our 2nd varsity men’s 8 both have as many novices as varsity rowers. On the one hand, it’s a consequence of rebuilding from a small base that we’re filling varsity seats with novice rowers. On the other hand, it’s a real testament to how quickly our novices have come along that they are ready to race at the varsity level, at the championships. Our eights have shown some real speed in the last several weeks, so I’m very hopeful for some great performances. Wish us luck – and if you’re near Lake Natoma this weekend, come join us to watch some great racing!
GO AZTECS!”


The H Del Beekley Foundation continues to garner support for the 100-year campaign, and will keep reaching out to its network by email, phone, and letter to carry on supporting this team.

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Last Call! Aztec Rowing Centennial Celebration Banquet

March 29, 2025 – The Saturday of Crew Classic Weekend!

SDSU Crew is turning 100 years old, and we’re celebrating with dinner and drinks!
Join us for an evening of:

• Reunion with fellow alumni rowers
• Nostalgia-filled stories and cherished memories
• Recognition of outstanding athletes and coaches
• Delicious dinner and drinks
• Keynote speech by Dr. Steve Estes, SDSU Crew Alumnus
• Live auction to support future Aztecs
• Dress to impress

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Spring Racing Results

The Parker Cup

The team kicked off the spring season with a great performance at the annual Parker Cup hosted this year in San Diego. Along with the men’s Parker Cup we introduced the Marisa Barge Cup for competing women’s teams! See the full Parker Cup results here.

The Gruenberg Cup

The Aztecs closed out the February by hosting the Gruenberg Cup—and absolutely crushed it! The VW4+, NM4+, and NM8+ all took first place in their heats. A huge thank you to all the parents who came out to support them, especially John Mountain and Sherry Ross for organizing an incredible athlete tent! See the full Gruenberg Cup results here.

The California Challenge Cup                          

The Cal Challenge Cup was an interesting format, with two teams going head-to-head, à la Henley Royal Regatta. See the full Cal Challenge Cup results here.

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Crew Classic Race Schedule and Events

The team’s race schedule is still in flux. We will send out the information once it’s available.

Alumni events are as follows:

• 3/29/25 1:00pm – Boat Christenings: The “Darlene Disney” and the “Ed Ecker”, at the Crew Classic awards stage.
• 3/29/25 4:30pm – Aztec Rowing Centennial Celebration Banquet – SDSU Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center, 5250 55th Street, San Diego, CA 92182-1690.
• 3/30/25 1:00pm – H Del Beekley Foundation Annual Meeting – SDSU Alumni Tent, Crew Classic

Beekley Foundation Annual Meeting is Sunday 3/30 at the Alumni Tent

The team and the Foundation work hand-in-hand to ensure the continued viability of SDSU Crew. The Annual Meeting is an important discussion of the state of the program and Foundation, and is key to continuing the positive impact of the Foundation. This year’s annual meeting is tentatively scheduled for Sunday March 30th at 1:00 PM Pacific (depending on the team’s race schedule) onsite at the SDSU tent and simulcast on Google meet. We will not be posting a public link to the meeting, so please RSVP with an email to info@beekleyrowing.org and we will send you a link to the virtual meeting.

The Foundation is always looking for people willing to help, and who would like to serve on the Board. You can help steer the direction of the team, as well as give back to a program that has helped shape who you are. If you’re interested in taking on a Board position, please send an email to info@beekleyrowing.org for more information. You can also nominate yourself – or someone else – for office. The positions to be voted on at this year’s meeting are:

President • Vice President • Secretary • Treasurer • At-large Board Members

*To be a voting member of the H Del Beekley Rowing Foundation you must have donated $25 or more to the H Del Beekley Rowing Foundation by 3/20/2025.

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The 2025 Golf Tournament was a Swinging Success

The 7th annual golf tournament welcomed a field of 36 golfers composed of 30 alumni and friends that played alongside 6 current athletes at the Tecolote Canyon Golf Course on Saturday, Feb 8, 2025.  For the second year in a row, the event ended in a tie at 4 under par, but this year we had to go through three levels of tie-breaking rules to determine our winning foursome of Ryan Wischnack, Tim Sambar, Jordan Dixon Reed and Henry Olinger. Congratulations to Ryan, Tim, Jordan, and Henry, and a big thank you to this year’s team and coaches for coming out to help with the tournament.

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100th Year Anniversary

Aztec Crew is celebrating 100 years of rowing at SDSU! In honor of this once-in-a-lifetime achievement we’ve started a push to have 100 supporters donate $1,000 for each of the next 5 years. If you’re able to contribute monetarily please use the link below. And if you’re able to contact your fellow teammates about the centennial push, please do so as well. Many hands make light work!

The H. Del Beekley Rowing Foundation cordially invites you to participate in our
7th Golf Tournament Fundraiser on Saturday, Feb 8, 2025 at the Tecolote Canyon Golf Course in San Diego.

The morning will start off with player check-in opening at 9:15 AM. At that time players will get a golf cart, have an option to grab some range balls, and take some practice swings at the driving range before our tee times begin at 10:00 AM. Then we’ll kick off our Scramble format tournament through the links. So, whether you consider yourself a pro or more of a duffer, you’re sure to have a great time and end the round with a solid score!  

In addition to the tournament itself, we will have a couple of challenges along the course for anyone who elects to buy the Bonus Packs. The first will be the Longest Drive competition where you can unleash your best drive and put yourself in the running for a prize at the end of the event. The second challenge will require a bit more finesse as you take aim to get the closest to the pin on one of the shorter holes on the course. If the big drive and pin challenges elude you on the course, your bonus pack also buys you raffle tickets to put you in the running for prizes at the end of the event.

All net proceeds from the event will go directly to the H. Del Beekley Rowing Foundation. The success of this event depends on the involvement of many individuals as well as business sponsors who participate in the event and sponsor tees or raffle items. If you or your business are interested in sponsoring a tee or the event through in-kind items, or would like to make a straight donation, please contact the Beekley Rowing Foundation board by emailing info@beekleyrowing.org.

The following registration options are now open on our Square Checkout registration site.  Online registration will close on Sunday, January 26th at midnight, so head on over and sign up today! Or better yet, rally up a foursome of your buddies and take advantage of reduced pricing for a Foursome with Bonus Pack. And remember, while this event is hosted by the Beekley Rowing Foundation, participation in the event is open to all! We’re looking forward to seeing you on the course!

Registration Options

Foursome or 3 Players + Sponsor an Athlete – $310
Includes golf and carts for 4 golfers. Only have a three-some? We’ll round out your threesome with a current team member.

Foursome Bonus Pack – $90
Includes 4 Closest to the Hole, 4 Longest Drive and 120 Raffle tickets

Single golfer – $80
Includes golf and spot in a cart to be grouped with 3 others

Single Under 27 Golfer or Athlete Sponsorship – $70
Includes golf and cart for people under the age of 27

Under 27 foursome – $270
Includes golf and cart for 4 people under the age of 27

Bonus Pack – $25
Includes Closest to the Hole, Longest Drive and 30 Raffle tickets

Tee Sponsor – $150
Includes a professionally made Tee Sign with your logo on the course and 30 Raffle Tickets

The team got back on the water on August 19th with 16 returning athletes. A new face around the boathouse is interim head coach Bernard Aparicio (Aztec rower 2011-2015) and Olympic hopeful (2019 – 2024), making his coaching debut for the team. Recruiting efforts yielded 48 potential new athletes. To start off this large new group the team hosted a “Learn to Row” day at the boathouse on 9/7/24, while concurrently holding an equipment maintenance work party attended by current team members and multiple alumni.

Throughout September the team has been developing their rowing skill, athletic agility, and strength. Over the course of the month, Coach Bernie has been impressed with the MV8 and MN4+, both of which have shown good endurance. The WV4+ shows promise as well, and the MN8 and WN8 are developing as planned. In a welcome turn of events, the team has three high school rowers joining the novice crews, which is relatively unique for our historically walk-on program.

Unfortunately, the large set of novice rowers brought in from the team’s recruiting efforts has resulted in a few “good problems”. First is the limitation of having a single coach, which makes managing 60 students on the water impossible. The second issue is the current quality of the equipment. Due to significant boat wear and tear, the team currently has 32 working seats, with a possible capacity, following repairs, of 48 seats. Over the next year, we plan to make a larger, more competitive team possible.

Currently, the team has stabilized to 36 consistent rowers and 6 coxswains on the water each practice. While Coach Bernie is working on the rowing form, the team culture is excellent. The students are learning that consistent, focused work makes boats move. They’ve definitely taken on challenging workouts with enthusiasm.

Through October, the focus will shift from technique into fitness and target speeds. The stroke will continue to be refined, but a primary focus for practices will be hitting their target goals for the workout, and working towards hitting the “stretch” goals that will take the team to the next level.

Head Coach Search Update

The search for a permanent head coach continues. The H Del Beekley Foundation, in accordance with our founding principles, has given the team a significant grant to supplement the salary of a head coach. We feel that we will get more and better candidates with a higher pay package.

Aztec Rowing Centennial Season

The 2024 – 2025 school year will mark the 100th anniversary of Aztec Crew’s founding. Multiple special events are in the works, but the preeminent development is a centennial fundraising push. Keep your eyes open for the email.

Fall Alumni Row

Mark your calendars for the Fall Alumni Row, set to take place October 26th @7:00AM on Mission Bay. Come jump into a contemporary racing shell and get a light workout with the current crew. This event is a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with fellow alumni and support the current team. Email info@beekleyrowing.org to get more info and reserve your spot! You can find more information here.

Alumni: Where Are They Now?

Congratulations to Kris Corley and his wife Brynne, who were married September 28, 2024 in New Jersey. Kris rowed for the Aztecs from 2012-2015 and is the current HDBRF Secretary. Many spirited Aztec alumni were in attendance.