Men's Crew: First Eight Earns Silver, Second Eight Earns Bronze at IRA Championship

Princeton, New Jersey - The Ephs rowed their final strokes of the season at the Divison 3 IRA National Championships, where they raced in competitive finals that came down to the wire. The 2000 meter races were rowed in hot, sunny weather with a tailwind.

The first race of the day for Williams was the Varsity Four Fifth-Level Final. Wisconsin crossed the finish line first with a time of 6:44.308. They were followed by OKC (6:46.038), MIT (6:46.053), Navy (6:48.638), Marietta (6:51.078), and Williams (6:54.391). Coxswain Fiona Seibert '24 was happy with the last race of her college career, saying: "After a good showing in the semis, the boys left it all out there in the finals. It was an amazing opportunity to have the chance to race at IRAs and I feel so lucky to have done it with this crew!"

Next up for the Ephs was the Division 3 2nd Varsity 8+ Grand Final, where Williams earned a bronze medal. Tufts finished first with a time of 5:55.100. Following were Trinity (5:57.414), Williams (5:57.944), Bates (5:59.707), Wesleyan (6:00.320), and Ithaca (6:19.720). Six seat Dalton Peters '26 had this to say about the race: "As a boat, I think we all wish that we would have performed better, so this one will sting for a while. There is lots of work to be done over the summer. Hats off to all crews for making this an extremely intense final!"

The last race of the day for Williams was the Division 3 Varsity 8+ Grand Final, where the Ephs brought home a silver medal. Wesleyan won the event with a time of 5:41.530. Following were Williams (5:41.737), Tufts (5:46.580), Trinity (5:47.557), Bates (5:50.717), and Coast Guard (5:59.014). Three seat Michael LesStrang '26 put the race in perspective, saying: "Although we didn't achieve the result we wanted, today's performance was a testament to the resilience and grit of this crew. We went out and executed a phenomenal race, falling just short of a talented and fast Wesleyan crew. The season as a whole has been tremendously challenging, and this boat has done a remarkable job of trusting the process and buying into something bigger than any individual rower. We are so grateful for the leadership provided by our senior class, and we will miss them dearly next year as we continue to search for more speed."

The day ended in a three-way points trophy tie between Wesleyan, Williams, and Tufts. Wesleyan won the tiebreaker and the first place trophy since they placed first in the First Eight event, while the Ephs finished second.

After an eventful weekend, Eph head coach Marc Mandel had this to say: "This season, more than any other, has shown the growth in competitiveness within Division 3 Men's Rowing. It's exciting to be part of such a deep field of programs led by extraordinary coaches and athletes. We couldn't have asked more from our first eight. They rowed their best possible race when it mattered most and just came up just a few feet short against a powerful and undefeated Wesleyan crew.  While we certainly would love to have found another second, rowing 5:41 is a blistering time at our level and I know we all are proud of our preparation, effort, and execution. In the second eight, Tufts really pushed the pace in the beginning, and we were unable to claw our way back to contend for the top of the podium. That said, this crew has shown resilience and an incredible willingness to adapt, and I'm thankful we return all of them next year. Finally, in our Varsity 4 Coaches Dent and Mallett helped the athletes in this crew take advantage of the extra three weeks of training and the boat made great strides."

With the spring season finished, the Ephs will now set their sights on recovery and building fitness for next fall.
 
WMC Lineups

First Eight
 
Cox - Isabelle Shah '24
8 – Noah Phipps '25
7 – William Densmore '26
6 – Owen Maier '25
5 – Trevor Eckler '24
4 – Jack Wagner '27
3 – Michael LesStrang '26
2 – Quinn Carroll '27
1 – Elias Sienkiewicz '24
 
Second Eight
 
Cox – Carina Sun '26
8 – Ben Floyd '25
7 – Austin Connelly '25
6 – Dalton Peters '26
5 – Nyamekye Akosah '25
4 – Trent Boone '25
3 – Simon Socolow '26
2 – James Johnson-Brown '25
1 – Myer Liebman '26

Varsity Four
Cox – Fiona Seibert '24
4 – Chris Pohlmann '27
3 – Asher Rabinowitz '26
2 – Pablo Fox '25
1 – Logan McClennen '24