Men's Crew Races at Weather-Shortened New England Championships

Worcester, MA – The Ephs raced at the New England Rowing Championships (NERC) on Lake Quinsigamond. Williams brought 5 crews to the regatta, although due to weather cancellations, only the first, second, and third eights went down the course. All three of these crews competed in heats, but just the first eight raced in a final, placing fifth in the Grand Final.

The conditions at Worcester worsened throughout the day. Although the morning started out with a moderate headwind, by the afternoon the breeze had picked up into a very strong headwind. After the men's first eight Grand Final, the remaining races of the day were canceled.

The first eight started the day off for the Ephs, racing in a heat with Bates, WPI, Boston College, and Mass Maritime. Williams (6:09.729) took second behind Bates (6:08.573). WPI (6:29.265), Boston College (6:38.237), and Mass Maritime (7:09.729) followed the Bobcats and the Ephs. The top two finish was good enough to send Williams to the Grand Final, where they placed fifth. Trinity won the event, clocking a (7:10.517). The remaining finishes were as follows: Wesleyan (7:19.984), Bates (7:23.192), Tufts (7:24.150), Williams (7:27.426), and  MIT (7:34.030). Five seat Owen Maier '25 reflected on the race, saying: "Far from what we were hoping for this afternoon, but our boat is privileged to have raced at all and have that opportunity to learn and grow from the experience. This crew has done everything that has been asked, so I am sure we will respond this week with tenacity and focus."

The second eight only raced in morning heats, placing first in their race against Bates, WPI, and Bowdoin. The Ephs put down a time of (6:31.612), with Bates (6:36.480), WPI (6:44.611), and Bowdoin (7:28.753) following behind. Two seat Chris Pohlman '27 was happy with how the heat went, but was disappointed with the cancellation, saying: "The second boat had a great heat, showing that we could have been a strong contender in the final. While we are disappointed racing did not continue, we are looking forward to racing again next weekend."

The third eight also just raced in a heat, with Williams crossing the line first. The Ephs clocked a time of 6:57.816, with Tufts (7:12.739), MIT (7:17.991), WPI (7:19.205), and Coast Guard (7:44.412) trailing. Coxswain Emma Cilke '28 had similar thoughts to Pohlman '27, saying: "I am extremely proud of how our boat rowed today, with a strong start, intensity, and teamwork. Sadly we were not able to race our Grand Final due to the weather, but morale is high and we are ready to continue sharpening our timing and endurance in preparation for next weekend's regatta!"

Assistant Coach Max Mallett had this to say about the day: "While it is always unfortunate to end a regatta prematurely, our athletes who did not get the chance to race in Grand Finals handled the situation with poise and composure. Everyone is looking forward to next weekend, where we will be racing back on Lake Quinsigamond, even more than we otherwise would be."

The Ephs return to Worcester on Sunday, May 11, where they will race at the National Invitational Rowing Championships/NESCAC Championships.

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 – Georgia Badenhope '28
4 - Felix Diaz '26
3 - Henry Hilton '28
2 - Zach Cantrell '27
1 - Alex Farman-Farmaian '28