Camden, NJ – Williams has concluded their campaign at the IRA National Championships, finishing as the third overall division III team in points! Individually, the DIII First Eight placed fourth, the DIII Second Eight placed second, and the Varsity Four placed 30th. Although the weather for the day was poor, with the Cooper River featuring blustery conditions and choppy waters, all of the Williams crews were still able to race in competitive finals.
The Varsity Four began the day for the Ephs by competing in the E Final. Williams placed sixth in a strong field featuring Trinity, Tufts, MIT, Williams, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and Holy Cross. The finish order was as follows: Holy Cross (6:41.770), MIT (6:43.060), Tufts (6:46.790), Trinity (6:49.960), MSOE (6:55.330), and Williams (6:59.690). Bow seat Aiden Spellacy-Urken '28 had this to say about the final: "We raced hard, and although our first two races went relatively better, I'm still proud of this boat for attacking the tough conditions. I'm going to greatly miss our seniors next year."
Next up for Williams was the Division III Second Eight Grand Final, where the Ephs lined up against Colby, Trinity, Tufts, Wesleyan, and Ithaca. In a nailbiter, Williams (5:53.336) finished second to Tufts (5:53.056). The remainder of the finishers were Colby (6:00.270), Wesleyan (6:00.710), Trinity (6:10.700), and Ithaca (6:21.370). Six seat
Dalton Peters '26 reflected on the final, saying: "Although we came out on the wrong side of a close race, I'm immensely proud of this crew. We fought hard until the end and put down a strong result. Our seniors, Ben and Trent, will be missed next year more than words can express. Thank you two so much for a fantastic season!"
Williams' last race of the day was the Division III First Eight Grand Final, where the Ephs competed against Tufts, Trinity, Bates, Wesleyan, and Colby. In a competitive race, Williams placed fourth, clocking a 5:47.440. Trinity won with a time of 5:40.360. The remaining finishers were Tufts (5:42.030), Bates (5:45.520), Wesleyan (5:50.870), and Colby (6:09.100) When asked about the race, four seat
Michael LesStrang '26 had this to say: "Although today was not the result we had hoped for, I am immensely proud of all this boat — and this team — has accomplished on and off the water. It was especially bittersweet to send off our seniors, who have provided invaluable leadership to myself and the rest of the crew over the past few years. I also want to shout out Christina, who as a sophomore, has shown tremendous maturity and leadership as our coxswain. I am excited to get back to work with all the returning athletes next fall and build from this result."
And with that, Williams' season is over. The Ephs will resume practice in the fall after summer break. A big thank-you is owed to all of the support from the larger Williams family for another great year!
WMC Lineups
DIII First Eight
Cox -
Christina Zhang '27
8 -
William Densmore '26
7 -
Noah Phipps '25
6 -
Austin Connelly '25
5 -
Owen Maier '25
4 -
Michael LesStrang '26
3 -
Jack Wagner '27
2 -
Kyle McHugh '28
1 -
Quinn Carroll '27
DIII Second Eight
Cox -
Carina Sun '26
8 -
Myer Liebman '26
7 -
Trent Boone '25
6 -
Dalton Peters '26
5 -
Luke Guleserian '28
4 -
Justin Schoenfarber '28
3 -
Jack Archer '28
2 -
Chris Pohlmann '27
1 -
Ben Floyd '25
Varsity Four
4 -
James Johnson-Brown '25
3 -
Ford Koles '25
2 -
Nyamekye Akosah '25
1 -
Aidan Spellacy-Urken '28
Cox -
Emma Cilke '28
