First and Second Varsity Eights Medal at NIRC/NESCAC Championships

WORCESTER, Mass. - The No. 3-ranked Williams College men's crew team saw its first and second varsity eight boats earn a bronze and silver medal, respectively, during the National Invitational Rowing Championship (NIRC)/NESCAC Championships Sunday on Lake Quinsigamond.

In the morning, all Williams' crews raced heats and qualified for grand finals, except the fourth eight, which went straight to final. The four placed third in its heat of six crews, the third eight placed second in its heat of four, the second eight placed second in its heat of five and the first eight placed second in its heat of seven.

In the afternoon, the fourth eight raced the grand final to start things off for Williams. Lined up against Bates A & B, Colby, Trinity, Tufts and Wesleyan, the Ephs rowed a solid race, placing fifth. Wesleyan won, and the finish order was as follows: Wesleyan (6:36.387), Trinity (6:40.603), Tufts (6:43.247), Bates A (6:49.469), Williams (6:50.867), Colby (6:55.953) and Bates B (7:27.461).

Subsequently, the four competed in its grand final, with the Ephs up against Massachusetts Maritime, Rochester, Tufts A & B and Wesleyan. Williams rowed hard and placed fifth. Tufts won, with the results being Tufts A (7:33.596), Tufts B (7:39.900), Wesleyan (7:51.869), Rochester A (7:53.503), Williams (7:59.213) and Massachusetts Maritime (8:05.579).

Next was the third eight grand final, where Williams raced Bates, Colby, Trinity, Tufts and Wesleyan, placing fourth in a well-fought bout. Tufts won the event, and the finish order was Tufts (6:29.670), Trinity (6:33.190), Wesleyan (6:37.824), Williams (6:42.766), Colby (6:52.107) and Bates (6:57.853).

Following was the second eight grand final, which featured Bates, Colby, Trinity, Tufts and Wesleyan in addition to the Ephs. In an exciting race, Williams walked away with a silver medal, placing second. Tufts won, and the finish order was Tufts (6:24.442), Williams (6:27.458), Trinity (6:30.554), Wesleyan (6:35.068), Bates (6:38.480) and Colby (6:40.430).

The last race of the day for the Ephs was the first eight grand final. Lined up against Bates, Colby, Trinity, Tufts and Wesleyan, Williams raced well and placed third, earning a bronze medal. Wesleyan won the event, and the finish order was Wesleyan (6:10.420), Trinty (6:11.640), Williams (6:17.264), Tufts (6:22.544), Bates (6:29.284) and Colby (6:39.894).

The Ephs finished fourth overall in team points, behind Tufts (3rd), Trinity (2nd) and Wesleyan (1st). By placing third in the first eight race, Williams will extend its season to the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Division III National Championship in Gold River, California, which takes place at Lake Natoma on May 29-30.

After the day's racing, head coach

Marc Mandel had this to say, "I loved the way our team showed up today on and off the racecourse. All boats raced hard, and most importantly, enjoyed the moment and being together. A special shoutout to our seniors, many of whom raced their last race for Williams today. They leave the team better than they found it. We are excited to continue training for the IRA National Championship, which promises to be another weekend of fast and furious competition."

Eph Lineups

First Eight:

C -

Carina Sun '26

8 -

Travis Carroll '29

7 -

Quinn Carroll '27

6 -

Myer Liebman '26

5 -

Jack Wagner '27

4 -

Kyle McHugh '28

3 -

Michael LesStrang '26

2 -

Lucas Wu '29

1 -

Aidan Spellacy-Urken '28

Second Eight:

C -

Emma Cilke '28

8 -

Jack Archer '28

7 -

William Densmore '26

6 -

Atlas Barnes '29

5 -

Justin Schoenfarber '28

4 -

Dalton Peters '26

3 -

Charlie Halverson '26

2 -

Noah Peters '29

1 -

Luke Guleserian '28

Third Eight:

C -

Georgia Badenhope '28

8 -

Brij Howard-Sarin '26

7 -

Andrew Kurgan '28

6 -

Hallsey Souder '28

5 -

Soren Anderson-Flynn '29

4 -

Asher Rabinowitz '26

3 -

Simon Socolow '26

2 -

Zach Cantrell '27

1 -

Charlie Maier '26

Fourth Eight:

C -

Holly Miller '28

8 -

Felix Diaz '26

7 -

Mihr Mehrzad '26

6 -

Neel Verma '27

5 -

Andrew Lytras '29

4 -

Toby Van de Ven '29

3 -

Peter Jarvis '29

2 -

Vaughn Sanders '26

1 -

Blaz Vavpetic '27

Four:

4 -

Henry Hilton '28

3 -

Jacob Hertz '28

2 -

Alden Rolfe '27

1 -

Alex Farman-Farmaian '28

C -

Kipp Kaplan '28