Men's Crew Sweeps IRA Division 3 National Championship

West Windsor, NJ - Williams Men's Crew ended an historic season by sweeping the IRA Division III National Championship this Saturday, winning the first varsity eight event for the second time in a row and the inaugural second varsity eight national championship. These combined wins resulted in Williams winning the first ever Division III IRA National Championship team points trophy, yet another historic first for the Ephs. The Williams varsity four also finished 28th against Division I competition.

A strong headwind that increased as the day went on resulted in last-minute scheduling changes, forcing both Williams eights to race earlier in the day than previously anticipated. The first varsity eight Grand Finals began at 9:14 AM, with Williams lining up against Wesleyan, Bates, Trinity, Tufts, and WPI. The Williams 1V executed their race plan to perfection, getting a lead on the other crews within the first 250 meters after a quick start and slowly expanding on that lead over the course of the entire 2,000 meters in the same way they were known to do all season long. Williams crossed the line in 6:32.40, winning gold medals and the Gary Caldwell Cup for the second year in a row in an event that has only existed for two years. Wesleyan won silver medals with a time of 6:37.90, while Bates won bronze with 6:37.97. Trinity (6:40.09), Tufts (6:49.18), and WPI (6:50.00) rounded out the Grand Finals.

Winning back-to-back Division III National Championships was the culmination of not just an entire year of hard work, but years and years of prior rowing and training. Graduating senior and two seat of the 1V Collin Dent '23, who has rowed in the first varsity eight for the past three years, had this to say about the Williams 1V's incredible performance: "We had high expectations coming into this race and our entire season, and we managed to exceed them. Today, we took an early lead and relentlessly extended it through every section of the race. The fitness and execution of all our boats has been exceptional throughout the season, and today was a clear demonstration of this strength. Our entire team is very dedicated and always pushing each other to be faster, and results like this are only possible because of this commitment and the contributions of every athlete within the program. It has been an incredible pleasure rowing for Williams, and I am so grateful for the countless athletes, coaches, staff, and parents who have contributed to our success."

The next race of the day was the second varsity eight Grand Finals. This was the first year that Division III second varsity eights have raced for a National Championship; combined with the amazing performance by their first varsity eight, and the outstanding results the 2V has had all season long, the pressure was on for Williams to deliver once more. The Ephs did just that, and in a race that was reminiscent of their first boat they got out to a lead on the field almost immediately before slowly expanding over the course of the piece. Williams crossed the finish line in 6:39.93 to win gold medals, the Norman T. Graf trophy, and the Division III 2V National Championship. They were followed across the line exactly eight seconds later by Wesleyan (6:47.93) who won silver, and Trinity (6:48.95) who won bronze. They in turn were followed by Bates (6:49.73), Tufts (6:51.84), WPI (7:03.66), and St. Lawrence (7:13.73). This win, in combination with the first varsity eight's performance, resulted in Williams winning the first ever Division III IRA National Championship team points trophy, another incredible achievement by this year's men's crew team.

This historic win, just as was the case with the first varsity eight, was the culmination of years of hard work by the entire Williams Men's Crew team over the past four years. Off-cycle senior and five seat Max Mallett '23.5 shared his thoughts on the second varsity eights performance and what contributed to their success in this race and the whole season: "This was the first and last time I will have the opportunity to race at IRA's, and I could not be prouder of our boat for the race––and season––we put together. After sparing at last year's IRAs with the stroke of this second varsity eight, I have looked forward to this IRAs all season long, and I can think of no better way to end my rowing career. This win was only possible because of each and every member of our team, who all contributed to making our program as fast as possible. Huge shout out to the 1V, of course, but also to the varsity four and the other twenty-odd members of this mind-blowing rowing team who have all made me the rower and person I am today."

The varsity four raced in the fifth final next, facing off against Coast Guard, Marietta, Georgetown, Catholic, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts Maritime. While Coast Guard (7:34.28) and Marietta (7:36.35) were first and second for the majority of the race, the Williams Four battled it out with Georgetown for the full 2,000 meters, staying neck-and-neck for the full race and even exchanging leads once. In the end Georgetown (7:41.10) edged out Williams (7:41.49), who ended 28th in the varsity four event. Catholic (7:43.26), Wisconsin (7:44.14), and Massachusetts Maritime (8:31.47) rounded out the varsity four fifth final. Louis Kabelka '24 described their race, explaining, "After our time trial, we knew we had room to improve. We did just that in our final, where we held Georgetown, who placed ahead of us in the time trial, until they passed us in the last 100 meters. Special shoutout to stroke, Trent Boone '25, and our coxswain, Carina Sun '26, for keeping us relentless. The result is disappointing, but racing at IRAs has improved every athlete in the V4 and lit a flame that will blaze throughout the future of Williams Men's Crew."

While the day was a joyous one writ large, it was somber in that it was the last race with Assistant Coach Graham Marks, who is leaving to pursue a master's degree and coach crew at Smith next year. Graham has been integral to the success of our team over the year. Head Coach Marc Mandel explained, "My entire six-year tenure at Williams has been alongside Graham Marks, our assistant coach. Graham has been instrumental in facilitating our teams' environment and success, and he has shown a level of dedication to our team that is unmatched. He will be missed tremendously by our athletes and me. I'm excited for next group of athletes he gets to work with, as they are getting a caring coach and mentor." Graham Marks, meanwhile, shared his thoughts on the day's racing and his time at Williams: "The racing this weekend put the exclamation point on an incredible season. It has been a privilege to be a part of this program. I am grateful to Marc for his mentorship and to all the rowers that I've worked with over the last five years."

Marc Mandel also shared his thoughts on this historic day for Williams Men's Crew. He said, "What a special day for our team, and each boat rowed beautiful races! More than a 'result' it is a reflection of the purposeful work they have put in from one day to the next. We've been seeing these types of performances in practice over the course of the year, and today was simply another opportunity to do what they do best on a larger stage."

Finally, today was the last race for the Class of 2023, and Marc Mandel explained how important this class specifically has been for Williams' success: "The Class of 2023 will stand out as particularly impactful on our program, and I count myself lucky to have had the opportunity to build relationships with them through the sport of rowing. They have shown leadership, thoughtfulness and care for each other and our team over the years, and I couldn't be more grateful for the four years I got to spend with them."

Congratulations to Williams Men's Crew for their historic season and for winning the back-to-back Division III IRA National Championships in the first varsity eight, the inaugural Division III IRA National Championship in the second varsity eight, and the team points trophy. 
 

WMC IRA National Championship Lineups:

First Varsity Eight:

Cox- Isabelle 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