My son was at a the Head of the Port Regatta up in Sac yesterday and I noticed in the results that Sac beat Davis pretty handily in both the 2x (sculling) and 2- (sweep).
ICA used to have a strong ICA team but the crew team was cut along with men's swimming and men's wrestling in 2010. Sac state still sponsors crew as a variety sport. I assume with scholarships and more equipment than a club team could muster. It is not a fair competition to compare our crew team with the Sac state team.
Two other points about crew. First how did the did the UCD men do? Second over the week-end a UCD male rower Seth Well was inducted into the CAL Aggie Hall of Fame, even though he was a club athlete. Seth was inducted as a legacy person for making the Rio Olympic Games in the 4 person boat. My wife thought he should not be included but I think he was a great addition as a legacy winner.
The womens races were the only collegiante races. The men raced in the open division against Marin, Los Gatoes, etc. They were 4/9 in the men's open 8+.
I hear you on club vs. scholarship, but crew is one of the sports were club teams can be very competitive. Small world, my co-worker's son was on the team in the mid 2010s and has one of the top 10 erg times for the team, 9th all time behind Seth who has the record. I can't even imagine rowing the times these guys acheive.
Your knowledge is greater than mine, but it is my understanding that boats and oars are very expensive and can make a huge difference. My hat is off to all club athletes because they really have to have that extra desire. Kudos to your son for such a high placing on the erg score, he must be very powerful and extremely fit.