WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The third-ranked Williams College men's crew team continues to excel in the classroom and on the water, as 21 Ephs garnered 2026 Empacher-IRCA Scholar-Athlete honors from the Intercollegiate Rowing Coaches Association Wednesday afternoon.
"While our student-athletes have dedicated so much effort within the sport, they are equally committed to their work in the classroom and are well deserving of this recognition," said head coach
Marc Mandel.
The Ephs recognized with this accolade are graduated seniors
William Densmore,
Charlie Halverson,
Brij Howard-Sarin,
Michael LesStrang,
Myer Liebman,
Charlie Maier,
Dalton Peters,
Asher Rabinowitz,
Simon Socolow and
Carina Sun, rising seniors
Quinn Carroll and
Jack Wagner, and rising juniors
Jack Archer,
Georgia Badenhope,
Emma Cilke,
Luke Guleserian,
Andrew Kurgan,
Kyle McHugh,
Justin Schoenfarber,
Hallsey Souder and
Aidan Spellacy-Urken.
The IRCA partners with Empacher Bootswerft at its official sponsor for this honor, as rowers and coxswains from all IRCA member schools are eligible for this prestigious award. A total of 676 rowers and coxswains met the criteria, representing 55 teams and 48 member programs.
Student-athletes must be in at least their second year of rowing eligibility, while also competing in their program's top three boats during the current season or raced in the 2026 Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championship. The final prerequisite is a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher through the 2025 fall semester.
Williams has achieved an abundance of success in the recent past, as the Ephs won the IRA Division III National Championship in 2022 and 2023, National Invitational Rowing Championship (NIRC) in 2022 and 2023, NESCAC Championship in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and New England Championship in 2022 and 2023. The Ephs lead the NESCAC with 11 all-time conference championships, including six consecutive from 2009-14.
During the 2026 season, the second varsity eight earned a gold medal during the IRA National Championship. Carroll and Wagner were named to the NESCAC All-Conference First Team. Furthermore, Mandel is one of four finalists for the IRCA's Leadership accolade, while Densmore is joined by two other student-athletes in pursuit of the Comeback Athlete of Year laurel. The winners for the annual awards will be announced on Friday, June 26.
