WEST WINDSOR, N.J. — Williams Men's Crew returned to Mercer Lake this morning for the finals of the IRA Championship. Great racing conditions on the course saw the Ephs put on an impressive showing - the first varsity eight finished in first place to claim the inaugural D3 IRA National Championship. The varsity four finished a close third in the C-final to earn 15th place overall. The Ephs capped off a dominant spring campaign as National Champions- a historic first for the program and a suitable send off for the Class of 2022.
The pressure had been on the first varsity eight throughout the spring campaign, as the Ephs sat atop the IRCA and IRA D3 polls for 5 weeks straight. In the end, the Ephs delivered and came out on top, holding true to their consistency that had been displayed all season. Today, the Ephs got off the line quickly, taking three seats on the field in the first 300 meters of the race.
The Ephs continued to stretch out their lead as the race wore on. The Williams crew came across the 1000 meter mark in a time of 2:52.46, three seconds ahead of both Tufts and Trinity. The Ephs stayed in control, continuing to steadily open their lead. At no point throughout the race did it look as though anyone but the Ephs would win. Their precision, technical finesse and raw power was on display as they crossed the finish line first to claim gold and the IRA D3 National Championship. The finish order was Williams first in 5:47.239, followed by Tufts (5:50.57), then Trinity (5:51.07), then Bates (5:57.1), then Hamilton (5:59.22), next was WPI (6:05) and finally Washington College (6:07.89).
The race was particularly sweet for senior coxswain Piper Higgins, as she expressed: "Every season has its own narrative, and this one was particularly special. For me personally, I withdrew from school last year with the hope of having a full rowing season this year. Then, last spring while I was off my first rowing coach from high school, Charlie, passed away. It really felt like my rowing career as I knew it —and many other things—were over. But when I got back to Williams, the team took me back with open arms and supported me as much as I tried to support them. The season really came down to who each of us were as individuals—hard workers, good athletes, and good people. Of course, too, we owe Marc the world."
Junior bow seat Zola Baird noted the satisfaction of winning after such pressure and rocky training: "We've had a tricky couple of weeks coming into this race, but at the end of the day I think we knew what we needed to do to win this race. We really wanted to win for Piper and Riley, and I'm so proud to have been able to send them off in this fashion. It's been an honor and a privilege to row with all eight of the other people in this boat, and I know it's just the start for WMC. Go Ephs!"
Junior two-seat Collin Dent offered: "We came into today knowing we had what it takes to win and we executed the race well. We're all incredibly proud to have sent off Piper and Riley on such a successful season and historic IRA result."
The varsity four, competing in the Division 1 event, had a strong day of racing, claiming 3rd place in their final and 15th place overall. The race was incredibly tight throughout, and with 500 meters to go, just .4 second separated the middle three crews, with Williams solidly among them. The four dug deep to hold their positions off these crews and cross the line in 3rd place, just .14 seconds behind Hobart and 2 seconds over Syracuse. Freshman two-seat Noah Phipps said: "The varsity 4+ committed to putting forth our best during every stroke. We embraced the challenge of racing D1 crews and showed the speed we gained during the four weeks of training before IRAs." The final finish order was Navy first in 6:40.57, then Hobart (6:42.847), next Williams (6:42.861), then Syracuse (6:44.4), next Oklahoma (6:46.4), and finally Wisconsin in 6:47.393.
Eph assistant coach
Graham Marks, when asked about the four, had this to say: "The four had an incredible weekend. They demonstrated their poise, determination and skill every trip down the course and while it stings to be on the wrong side of a race decided by .014 seconds, the fact that they had the grit to claw back into that race after being down of the start is a testament to how they approached each day of training leading up to the IRA."
Eph head coach Marc Mandel, in his fifth-year at the helm of the program was very pleased with the day and the culmination of the season. He said: "Really gratifying end to the year, as everything we do from September to now is geared to having our best race at the end of the season. They controlled the race from the first stroke to the last, and it's a moment the entire team can be proud of, as everyone on our team plays an important role. It's also very special to be the first program to win the inaugural Caldwell Cup. Firsts don't come along very often in our sport, and I'm so proud that our team earned this opportunity."
Post-race
Marc Mandel told Row2k.com: "These races don't just appear out of nowhere," said Mandel. "This particular crew has rarely had a bad day, in practice, and if they ever did, it wasn't for lack of effort. We had some learning moments, but they've been very consistent all year. They take the training very seriously. They're really close. All of those things go into the performance you saw today. We rarely talk about winning, but we did talk about building to our last race and being as fast as we possibly could be, and I felt their race today was a true testament to that."
Mandel closed by telling Row2k.com his impression of how he felt with the addition of a D3 Championship to the IRA Regatta would impact D3 rowing:
"It was clear that the racing was really competitive," added Mandel. "The rowing was at a really high level, especially Tufts and Trinity, they've found a whole other gear over the last four weeks. You could feel the excitement, you could feel the enthusiasm. There are still some D3 programs that haven't joined the IRA."
"I think the field is going to grow," said Mandel. "And I think that's just really good for men's rowing."
With this win, the Ephs add a D3 National Title to a slew of championship victories from this season including the NIRC, NESCAC, and New England Championships.
Eph Lineups
First Varsity Eight: c-Piper Higgins, 8-Tad Montesano, 7 Gus Nordmeyer, 6-Trevor Eckler, 5- Owen Maier, 4- Nick Ambeliotis, 3-Riley Will, 2- Collin Dent, 1-Zola Baird
Varsity Four: c-Kevin Ryan, 4-Ben Washburne, 3-Austin Connelly, 2-Noah Phipps, 1-Theodore Tellides
