Worcester, MA – After an abbreviated stint at the New England Rowing Championships due to weather cancellations the previous week, the Ephs returned to Lake Quinsigamond to race at the National Invitational Rowing Championships. The weekend featured a mix of new teams and familiar opponents, with squads traveling from as far as Florida to compete. The weather in Worcester was ideal for racing. The conditions featured sunny skies with a strong cross-tailwind that built throughout the morning and plateaued in the afternoon.
The Ephs posted strong results across the board, with some highlights being a win in the second eight and a pair of silver medals in the fourth eight and the open four. Williams' strong showing at the regatta ended up placing the Ephs second overall in team points. The top three teams were Tufts (170), Williams (163), and Trinity (159).
To kick off the day's racing, the fifth four (racing in the Open Four category) started their morning off in a competitive heat. Williams crossed the line first, clocking finishing (6:59.699). Hobart (7:03.273), Marist (7:07.167), Colby (7:12.289), New Hampshire B (7:28.798), and Rochester B (7:48.760) followed behind. Because of their strong performance, the Ephs qualified for the Grand Final, where they finished with a time of 6:50.333, second to Tufts (6:48.161). Hobart (6:50.545) Tufts B (6:51.665), UNH (6:59.663), and Rochester (7:00.137) crossed the line after the Jumbos and the Ephs. 2 seat
Andrew Kurgan '28 was pleased with the race, saying: "We are extremely proud with our progress from the fall. As a novice to the sport it feels amazing medaling against experienced rowers."
The Eph third eight began their morning placing third in their heat, qualifying them for the Grand Final. The finish order was as follows: Trinity (6:01.609), Marist (6:03.107), Williams (6:04.543), Bates (6:05.435), WPI (6:28.660), and Coast Guard (6:41.707). In the Grand Final, the Ephs placed fifth. Wesleyan (5:53.197) won, with the other results being: Hobart (5:56.719), Tufts (5:59.227), Marist (5:59.833), Williams (6:02.721), and Trinity (6:04.941). 4 seat
Jack Archer '28 reflected on the race, saying: "Although we didn't perform how we wanted, our boat came in today ready for a dog fight and executed a solid piece. We have made great improvements over the past few weeks and are especially grateful for the leadership from seniors Pablo, James, Nyamekye, and Ford throughout this season."
The second eight won their morning heat, clocking a 5:56.092. Behind Williams was Tufts (5:57.798), Colby (6:06.965), Coast Guard (6:07.957), Conn College (6:40.471), and Mass Maritime (6:45.899). By winning the heat, Williams punched their ticket to the Grand Final, where they also won with a time of 5:50.975. Following them was Tufts (5:53.659), Wesleyan (5:54.555), Hobart (6:00.799), Trinity (6:02.331), and Bates (6:09.325). When reflecting on the race, 4 seat
Austin Connelly '25 had this to say: "We were really disappointed to not be able to race last week so we were thankful to be able to put it all out there today. Everyone in the boat was locked in and I think that led to a very mature race. We were able to execute the sprint we've been working on and throw down a piece I'll be proud of well after my time at Williams."
The first eight also won their morning heat, putting down a time of 5:43.991. Wesleyan (5:48.897), Marist (5:51.549), Colby (5:55.425), Hamilton (5:59.330), and Conn College (6:22.534) followed. With the top finish, the first eight earned a trip to the Grand Final, where they placed fourth in an incredibly close race. Trinity (5:39.214) won, with the other results being Bates (5:41.064), Tufts (5:41.930), Williams (5:41.957), MIT (5:42.642), and Wesleyan (5:49.026). When asked about the races, coxswain
Christina Zhang '27 had this to say: "We had a strong heat with great length and composure, the final was tough for sure. We have a lot to continue to work on but we are excited for the next few weeks. I am feeling grateful for our 2 incredible seniors
Noah Phipps and
Owen Maier who have been fantastic mentors and friends."
The Williams fourth eight went straight to the Grand Final, and the Ephs did not disappoint. In an absolute nail-biter, Williams (5:59.185) lost to Tufts (5:59.079) by 0.106 seconds, good for a silver medal. Wesleyan (6:05.329), Trinity (6:10.157), Hobart (6:15.305), Marist (6:17.413) and Bates (6:31.700) followed. Coxswain
Ellia Chiang '25 was proud of her crew, saying: "It was definitely a gritty race that was down to the wire with Tufts. I'm super proud of the boys and how we committed. Even though we didn't get the finish we wanted, it was close like less than 0.1 seconds which is crazy. We gave it our all and had fun - a good way to end my last race!"
After a full day of racing, Head Coach
Marc Mandel had this to say: "It was an incredibly competitive day of racing and I thought all of our crews showed tremendous determination and boat speed.The varsity race was one for the ages and what our sport is all about. While we narrowly missed out on the NESCAC AQs, I believe we are well positioned to earn an at large berth to the IRA National Championship, and it will be fun to have an opportunity to line up again in a few weeks against such fast crews."
And with that, the regular season is over for the Ephs! A big thank-you is owed to all of the Williams parents who tirelessly worked every race this season to supply the team with food. Also, stay tuned for information about the IRA National Championship.
WMC Lineups
First Eight (1V)
Cox -
Christina Zhang '27
8 -
William Densmore '26
7 -
Noah Phipps '25
6 -
Justin Schoenfarber '28
5 -
Owen Maier '25
4 -
Michael LesStrang '26
3 -
Jack Wagner '27
2 -
Kyle McHugh '28
1 -
Quinn Carroll '27
Second Eight (2V)
Cox -
Carina Sun '26
8 -
Myer Liebman '26
7 -
Trent Boone '25
6 -
Dalton Peters '26
5 -
Luke Guleserian '28
4 -
Austin Connelly '25
3 -
Aidan Spellacy-Urken '28
2 -
Chris Pohlmann '27
1 -
Ben Floyd '25
Third Eight (3V)
Cox -
Emma Cilke '28
8 -
Ford Koles '25
7 -
James Johnson-Brown '25
6 -
Nyamekye Akosah '25
5 -
Charlie Halverson '26
4 -
Jack Archer '28
3 -
Hallsey Souder '28
2 -
Pablo Fox '25
1 -
Brij Howard-Sarin '26
Fourth Eight (4V)
Cox -
Ellia Chiang '25
8 -
Graham Napack '26
7 -
Asher Rabinowitz '26
6 -
Charlie Maier '26
5 -
Alden Knox Weaver '27
4 -
Mihr Mehrzad '26
3 -
Neel Verma '27
2 -
Blaz Vavpetic '27
1 -
Vaughn Sanders '26
Fifth Four (5V)
Cox –
Holly Miller '28
4 -
Felix Diaz '26
3 -
Zach Cantrell '27
2 -
Andrew Kurgan '28
1 -
Henry Hilton '28
