Men's Crew Races on the Malden River

MEDFORD, MASS - This weekend, the Ephs travelled east for a series of races on the Malden River against familiar opponents Tufts, Trinity, and Coast Guard. Williams brought four 8's to the event, good mixes of the classes of '24, '25, '26, and '27. Goals, nerves, and excitement were high among the team, as everyone was ready to kick off the spring season.

The 2000 meter racing took place from 11 AM - 2 PM. The Malden brought classic race-day conditions: an average temperature of 42 degrees, sporadic rain, and a strong headwind.

The first varsity eight led off the racing against I.R.C.A. #1 ranked Tufts.  Tufts (6:22.6) rowed a strong race and finished just over 4 seconds ahead of Williams (6:28.6).   The 1V8 fared better in their second race, racing to 6:28.59 against Coast Guard's 6:38.93. Coxswain Isabelle Shah '24 had this to say about the day's racing: "While we didn't see the results we hoped for today, we learned some vital lessons that will positively impact the rest of our season. We have a lot of room to grow and we are hungry for more."

The 2V had a great day, winning both their races. In their race against Tufts, Williams got off to an early lead, and finished with 6:30.09 to Tufts' 6:36.95. In their second race, against Trinity, the Ephs led the whole way, ending with a time of 6:30.05, with Trinity going 6:41.69. Stroke seat Myer Liebman '26 was proud of how the crew moved on the Malden: "The 2V had two very good races today. We are excited with where we are starting the season and look forward to getting faster in the coming weeks!"

The 3V started their morning against Tufts, ultimately falling behind and going 6:51.8 compared to Tufts' 6:43.61. However, in their race against Coast Guard, the third boat made some big improvements and went 6:42.19, with Coast Guard finishing at a time of 7:30.97. 2 seat Blaz Vavpetic '27 was happy with his crew's improvements throughout the day, saying: "Everyone left it all out there, and we did a good job of keeping our heads between the gunnels and rowing our own race."

The 4V had a similar day to the 1V and 3V, losing to Tufts in the morning (Tufts 6:52.7, Williams 7:17.94) but finding their groove and winning in the afternoon. (Williams 6:57.47, Trinity 7:04.72) 5 seat Ford Koles '25 was happy with the progression he saw throughout the day, saying: "In our first race against Tufts we couldn't really find our rhythm, but we made big strides while racing Trinity. We found our flow, and even after losing half a length due to an oar clash with 600 meters left in the race, we still finished strong."

When asked about the day, Eph head coach Marc Mandel had this to say: "The first race of the season is always filled with excitement and anticipation, as it has been a full ten months since we've lined up next to another crew. Going into the first round of racing, I sensed Tufts would be sharp and fast throughout their program, and they clearly did not disappoint. That said, each of our crews showed the foundation of what we've been working on throughout the year, and I think we all look forward to continuing to progress as the spring moves forward."

With a full day's racing behind them, the Ephs are ready to get back to practice to prepare for next weekend's test against WPI and MIT in Worcester.

WMC Lineups

1V

Cox - Isabelle Shah '24
8 - Noah Phipps '25
7 - Trevor Eckler '24
6 - Owen Maier '25
5 - Will Densmore '26
4 - Dalton Peters '26
3 - Elias Sienkiewicz '24
2 - Jack Wagner '27
1 - Michael LesStrang '26

2V

Cox - Carina Sun '26
8 - Myer Liebman '26
7 - James Johnson-Brown '25
6 - Austin Connelly '25
5 - Ben Floyd '25
4 - Simon Socolow '26
3 - Quinn Carroll '27
2 - Chris Pohlmann '27
1 - Logan McClennen '24

3V

Cox - Christina Zhang '27
8 - Pablo Fox '25
7 - Trent Boone '25
6 - Nyamekye Akosah '25
5 - Alden Weaver '27
4 - Graham Napack '26
3 - Asher Rabinowitz '26
2 - Blaz Vavpetic '27
1 - Zach Cantrell '27

4V

Cox - Casey Monteiro '24/Fiona Seibert '24
8 - Felix Diaz '26
7 - Mihr Mehrzad '26
6 - Louis Kabelka '24
5 - Ford Koles '25
4 - Brij Howard-Sarin '26
3 - Charlie Halverson '26
2 - Vaughn Sanders '26
1 - Charlie Maier '26