Williamstown, MA - The Williams Men's Crew trailer is loaded up with boats and ready to begin the trip down to West Windsor, New Jersey for the Division III IRA National Championships. The #1 ranked Williams Crew is sending both a first and second varsity eight as well as a varsity four to race this Friday, June 2nd and this Saturday, June 3rd.
The Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) has organized a national championship since 1895, where heavyweight and lightweight men's and women's crew teams compete for the gold at the end of their season. Until last year, teams from both Division 1 and Division 3 schools competed in the same event, although until 2018 NESCAC rules forbade post-season competition among its member schools, preventing many Division 3 schools from participating. Last year, however, Williams Men's Crew sent their first varsity eight to the inaugural Division 3 IRA National Championship, bringing home the gold in a historic first for the Ephs specifically and for Division 3 writ large. This year, the IRA has added a second varsity eight event for the Division 3 schools, enabling Williams Men's Crew to send another eight as well as a varsity four which will compete against Division 1 colleges.
The Ephs qualified for the IRA National Championship through the first varsity eight's incredible performance at NIRC, which secured them the title of NESCAC Champions and a bid for the national championship. The first varsity eight will be racing in their heat on Friday at 9:50, before heading off to a final on Saturday at either 11:20 or 12:00. The second varsity eight will be racing for lanes on Friday at 1:40, while their final is at 11:50 on Saturday. Meanwhile, the varsity four has a time trial on Friday at 11:20, before a semifinal which will take place sometime between 3:30 and 4:10 on Friday and a final between 10:10 to 11:10 on Saturday.
The first varsity eight will be facing off against familiar competition in Wesleyan, Trinity, Tufts, Bates, WPI, Adrian, and Saint Lawrence. While the Ephs have put together an amazing spring season – including winning both NERC and NIRC – and have also been ranked first in the IRCA/IRA coaches poll since the start of the spring, the competition between Williams and these other great Division 3 programs will be fierce. The second varsity eight faces the same competition with the exception of Adrian College, which is not sending a second varsity eight. While they have also had a great season, and have also been ranked first by the IRCA/IRA coaches poll, the competition will be equally strong among the second boats.
Since NIRC, the Ephs have been hard at work on Lake Onota training for the national championship. Their success, however, was built upon the hard work put in over the course of the entire season, as well as the seasons before. From first-year novices to members of the past few graduating classes, everyone has contributed to the success found by Williams Men's Crew this spring season. This year's graduating seniors have a good perspective on the program and the many people who contribute to its success. Seven seat
Gus Nordmeyer '23 shared his thoughts on the first varsity eight's upcoming race and what has contributed to their success: "I am very excited to race at Mercer again and get one final chance to show our speed. Racing two eights and a four will be another opportunity to showcase our depth, which has been fueled by both people racing and not racing this weekend."
Meanwhile, three seat of the second varsity eight
Dalton Peters '26 explained how excited he was for the upcoming race and the chance to attend IRAs for the first time. He said, "I'm so pumped to race at the IRA's for the first time! It is, of course, pretty nerve-wracking, but I'm excited to see what we can do!"
Two seat in the varsity four
Louis Kabelka '24 explained what excited him about the upcoming race: "The V4 is mostly young talent that have been key to the historic depth of Williams Men's Crew this season. We are excited for the unique chance to show off that depth against some of the fastest teams in the country."
Eph fans can look forward to a weekend of competitive racing and a chance for Williams to push for the gold once more and end the racing season on a high note.
Williams Men's Crew Lineups:
First Varsity Eight:
Cox- Isabel Shah '24
8-
Tad Montesano '23
7-
Gus Nordmeyer '23
6-
William Densmore '26
5-
Owen Maier '25
4-
Nick Ambeliotis '23
3-
Michael LesStrang '26
2-
Collin Dent '23
1-
Noah Phipps '25
Second Varsity Eight:
Cox-
Kevin Ryan '23
8-
Ben Floyd '25
7-
Ben Washburne '23
6-
Trevor Eckler '24
5-
Max Mallett '23.5
4-
Elias Sienkiewicz '24
3-
Dalton Peters '26
2-
Austin Connelly '25
1-
Zola Baird '23
Varsity Four:
Cox-
Carina Sun '26
4-
Trent Boone '25
3-
Nyamekye Akosah '25
2-
Myer Liebman '26
1-
Louis Kabelka '24
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