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    April 2024 Magazine

    Regional Racing Heats Up at WIRA Championship

    The Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships took place April 27-28 on Sacramento’s Lake Natoma. WIRA, a regional organization with membership comprised of 40 rowing programs at all division levels, includes nearly every rowing program in the West, outside of the Pac-12 varsity heavy/openweight teams.  The #4 Stanford lightweight women brought home gold medals in the openweight varsity eight, varsity four and double while the #3 UCLA club men finished first in the varsity eight and novice four. This is UCLA’s first ever win in the varsity eight at WIRAs and their third consecutive win in the novice four. In the women’s D2/D3/Club events, #1 Western Washington won both the varsity and second varsity eights, propelling them from sixth to first in this week’s Pocock CRCA Coaches Poll.

    Full results. Live stream.

     

    IRCA/IRA Coaches Poll – Week 4, May 1

    Story by IRCA.

    This week’s IRCA/IRA Poll has Princeton atop the heavyweight men’s varsity eight poll for the second week in a row while Wesleyan retains the top spot for the DIII varsity eight and Harvard does the same for the lightweight men’s varsity eight.

    IRCA/IRA Men’s Heavyweight Varsity 8 Poll
    4/26/23
    Rank Team (First Place Votes) Points Previous
    1 Princeton University (8) 295 1
    2 University of Washington (4) 292 2
    3 Harvard University 270 3
    4 University of California – Berkeley 269 4
    5 Yale University 253 5
    6 Brown University 240 6
    7 Syracuse University 221 7
    T-8 Northeastern University 214 8
    T-8 University of Pennsylvania 214 9
    10 Dartmouth College 192 10
    11 US Naval Academy 170 11
    12 Stanford University 167 12
    13 Boston University 162 13
    14 Cornell University 144 14
    15 University of Wisconsin 136 15
    16 Drexel University 118 17
    17 La Salle University 106 16
    18 Columbia University 96 18
    19 Georgetown University 87 19
    20 Holy Cross University 63 T-20
    21 University of California – San Diego 62 22
    22 Oregon State University 53 T-20
    23 Temple University 38 23
    24 Jacksonville University 23 24
    25 Colgate University 12 25
    Others Receiving Votes: St. Joseph’s University (2), Gonzaga (1)
    IRCA/IRA Men’s Heavyweight 2nd Varsity 8 Poll
    Rank Team (First Place Votes) Points Previous
    1 University of Washington (11) 299 1
    2 Princeton University (1) 283 3
    3 University of California – Berkeley 281 2
    4 Harvard University 258 6
    5 Yale University 254 4
    6 Northeastern University 233 7
    7 Boston University 225 10
    8 Brown University 217 8
    9 Dartmouth College 213 5
    10 Syracuse University 197 9
    11 University of Pennsylvania 177 11
    12 Cornell University 166 12
    13 US Naval Academy 146 13
    14 Stanford University 143 15
    15 Columbia University 135 14
    T-16 Georgetown University 112 19
    T-16 La Salle University 112 18
    18 University of Wisconsin 101 16
    19 Oregon State University 76 21
    20 St. Joseph’s University 63 25
    21 Holy Cross University 55 22
    22 Drexel University 50 17
    23 Temple University 49 20
    24 Santa Clara University 26 23
    25 Gonzaga University 20 24
    Others Receiving Votes: University of California – San Diego (4), Jacksonville University (3), Colgate University (2)
    IRCA/IRA Men’s Heavyweight 3rd Varsity 8 Poll
    Rank Team (First Place Votes) Points
    1 University of Washington (12) 300 1
    2 Brown University 287 2
    3 University of California – Berkeley 271 3
    4 Harvard University 264 4
    5 Yale University 254 5
    6 Princeton University 238 6
    7 Dartmouth College 233 7
    8 Syracuse University 215 8
    9 Boston University 199 10
    10 University of Pennsylvania 197 9
    11 Northeastern University 182 11
    12 Cornell University 167 12
    13 US Naval Academy 155 13
    14 University of Wisconsin 140 16
    15 Drexel University 137 14
    16 Georgetown University 116 15
    17 Holy Cross University 105 17
    18 Oregon State University 99 18
    19 Santa Clara University 68 20
    20 Temple University 67 19
    21 St. Joseph’s University 57 25
    22 Gonzaga University 56 21
    23 University of California – San Diego 44 22
    24 Hobart College 25 23
    25 Jacksonville University 14 24
    Others Receiving Votes: Marist College (1)
    IRA Ten Eyck Team Points
    Rank Team Points Previous
    1 University of Washington 283 1
    2 Princeton University 269 2
    3 University of California – Berkeley 259 3
    4 Harvard University 257 4
    5 Yale University 240 5
    6 Brown University 232 6
    7 Northeastern University 203 9
    8 Syracuse University 201 8
    9 Dartmouth College 193 7
    10 University of Pennsylvania 186 10
    11 Boston University 180 11
    12 US Naval Academy 154 12
    13 Cornell University 146 13
    14 University of Wisconsin 111 14
    15 Stanford University 109 T-15
    16 Georgetown University 93 17
    17 Drexel University 87 T-15
    18 Columbia University 75 18
    19 La Salle University 72 19
    20 Holy Cross University 65 20
    21 Oregon State University 60 21
    22 Temple University 33 22
    23 St. Joseph’s University 32 NR
    24 University of California – San Diego 26 23
    25 Santa Clara University 22 24
    26 Gonzaga University 9 25
    27 Jacksonville University 5 26
    28 Hobart College 3 27
    IRCA/IRA Men’s D3 1st Varsity 8 Poll
    4/26/23
    Rank Team (First Place Votes) Points Previous
    1 Wesleyan University (6) 90 1
    2 Trinity College 82 2
    3 Tufts University 79 3
    4 Williams College 73 4
    5 Bates College 65 5
    6 Marietta College 57 6
    7 US Coast Guard Academy 52 7
    8 Colby College 51 8
    9 Worcester Polytechnic Institute 39 9
    10 Ithaca College 37 10
    11 Milwaukee School of Engineering 28 NR
    12 Hamilton College 25 11
    13 St. Lawrence University 21 12
    14 Catholic University of America 11 13
    15 Skidmore College 5 15
    Others Receiving Votes: Rochester Institute of Technology (3), Washington College (2)
    IRCA/IRA Men’s D3 2nd Varsity 8 Poll
    Rank Team (First Place Votes) Points Previous
    1 Williams College (6) 60 1
    2 Tufts University 54 2
    3 Wesleyan University 46 3
    4 Bates College 43 4
    5 Trinity College 37 5
    6 Marietta College 30 6
    7 Worcester Polytechnic Institute 23 7
    8 Colby College 18 8
    9 Ithaca College 13 9
    10 US Coast Guard Academy 4 10
    Others Receiving Votes: Hamilton College (1), Rochester Institute of Technology (1)
    IRCA/IRA Men’s D3 Team Points
    Rank Team Points Previous
    1 Wesleyan University 51 1
    2 Tufts University 46.5 2
    T-3 Trinity College 45 T-3
    T-3 Williams College 45 T-3
    5 Bates College 37.5 5
    6 Marietta College 31.5 6
    7 Colby College 22.5 7
    8 US Coast Guard Academy 18 8
    9 Worcester Polytechnic Institute 9 9
    IRCA/IRA Men’s Lightweight 1st Varsity 8 Poll
    4/26/23
    Rank Team Points Previous
    1 Harvard University (10) 100 1
    2 University of Pennsylvania (1) 87 2
    3 Princeton University 81 3
    4 Cornell University 78 4
    5 Georgetown University 59 6
    T-6 Dartmouth College 45 9
    T-6 US Naval Academy 45 7
    8 Massachusettes Institute of Technology 44 8
    9 Columbia University 35 5
    10 Yale University 21 10
    11 Mercyhurst 10 11
    IRCA/IRA Men’s Lightweight 2nd Varsity 8 Poll
    Rank Team Points Previous
    1 Cornell University (8) 89 1
    2 University of Pennsylvania (2) 83 2
    3 Yale University 73 6
    4 Princeton University 65 3
    5 Harvard University 56 4
    6 Columbia University 50 5
    7 US Naval Academy 44 7
    T-8 Dartmouth College 31 8
    T-8 Georgetown University 31 9
    10 Massachusettes Institute of Technology 18 10
    IRCA/IRA Men’s Lightweight Team Points
    Rank Team Points Previous
    1 University of Pennsylvania 49.5 T-1
    2 Harvard University 48 T-1
    3 Cornell University 45 T-3
    4 Princeton University 43.5 T-3
    5 Georgetown University 31.5 T-6
    6 US Naval Academy 30 T-6
    7 Dartmouth College 28.5 T-8
    8 Yale University 24 T-8
    9 Columbia University 22.5 5
    10 Massachusettes Institute of Technology 19.5 T-8
    11 Mercyhurst 6 11

    Pocock CRCA Coaches Poll – Week 7, May 1

    Image courtesy of the CRCA.

    After an eventful Longhorn Invite, Texas now sits atop the DI Pocock CRCA Coaches Poll. Ohio State also made a significant move from 14th to 12th after defeating Virginia at the same event. Alabama makes their first appearance on the polls this week, coming in at 18th on the strength of their performance at the Lake Wheeler Invite.

    The DII polls saw the biggest shakeups, with Western Washington catapulting from sixth to first after winning both the varsity and second varsity eights at the WIRA Championships. Seattle Pacific also made a big move from fifth to third as a result of their performance at WIRAs.

    The DIII polls remained mostly stable as crews begin to enter their championship season. St. Mary’s College of Maryland and Smith each won their respective conference championships this past weekend and have earned the first two AQ bids for the 2024 NCAA Championships.

    Division 1
    Rank Team Points Previous Ranking
    1 University of Texas 2614 2
    2 Stanford University 2528 1
    3 Princeton University 2308 3
    4 University of California, Berkeley 2201 4
    5 University of Tennessee 2133 5
    6 Yale University 2005 6
    7 Brown University 1953 7
    8 University of Washington 1780 8
    9 University of Michigan 1593 9
    10 Syracuse University 1542 10
    11 University of Pennsylvania 1362 11
    12 The Ohio State University 1265 14
    13 Rutgers University 1154 13
    14 Duke University 1086 16
    15 Indiana University 1078 15
    16 University of Virginia 961 12
    17 Washington State University 433 18
    18 University of Alabama 305 NR
    19 Columbia University 284 19
    20 Harvard-Radcliffe 281 20
    ORV Gonzaga University 255
    ORV University of Southern California 160
    ORV University of Central Florida 147
    ORV University of California, Los Angeles 146
    ORV University of Miami 134
    ORV Oregon State University 109
    ORV University of Minnesota 93
    ORV University of Notre Dame 69
    ORV University of Iowa 18
    Division 2
    Rank Team Points Previous Ranking
    1 Western Washington University 158 6
    2 University of Central Oklahoma 152 1
    3 Seattle Pacific University 132 5
    4 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 127 2
    5 Cal Poly Humboldt 109 3
    6 Mercyhurst University 74 4
    7 University of Tampa 60 NR
    8 Rollins College 52 7
    ORV Thomas Jefferson University 17
    ORV Barry University 14
    Division 3
    Rank Team Points Previous Ranking
    1 Tufts University 732 1
    2 Trinity College 672 2
    3 Williams College 629 3
    4 Wesleyan University 610 4
    5 Bates College 561 5
    6 Ithaca College 458 6
    7 Hamilton College 410 7
    8 Smith College 408 9
    9 Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) 382 8
    10 Wellesley College 369 10
    11 US Coast Guard Academy 219 12
    12 Clark University 176 11
    13 William Smith College 146 13
    14 Rochester Institute of Technology 87 15
    15 University of Puget Sound 56 14
    ORV Lewis & Clark College 36
    ORV St. Mary’s College of Maryland 30

    St. Mary’s Women’s Rowing Win’s MARC Championships, Earn NCAA Championships Berth

    West Windsor, NJ– The St. Mary’s Women’s Rowing Team competed in the MARC Championships. The Seahawks took first and earned a spot in the NCAA Championships.

    How it Happened:

    • The Women’s Varsity 8 squad finished second in the first heat with a time of 7:18, just behind Bryn Mawr.

    • The Women’s Second Varsity 8 team earned first in their heat with a time of 7:25. The Women’s Third Varsity 8 crew earned third in that same race with a time of 7:45.

    • The Women’s Varsity 8 squad earned first place in the final race to capture the MARC Championship. The Seahawks crossed the finish line at the 7:04 mark, edging Bryn Mawr by three seconds.

    • Nik Meyer was named MARC Women’s Rowing Coach of the Year.

    Lineups:

    Women’s Varsity 8

    Women’s Second Varsity 8

    Women’s Third Varsity 8

    Up Next:

    • May 10 | Dad Vail Regatta | Pennsauken, NJ

    Smith Claims 2024 NEWMAC Rowing Championship

    WORCESTER – Smith won three of four races and tallied 42 points to claim the 2024 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Rowing Championship Saturday morning at Lake Quinsigamond. Smith edged WPI by a single point to claim its 10th overall team championship and earn the NEWMAC’s automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division III Championship at East Fork/Harsha Lake on Bethel, OH on May 31st and June 1st.  It will be the Pioneers first appearance at the NCAA Championships in 14 years.

    WPI (7:09.70) led wire-to-wire in the varsity eight en route to winning the V8 for just the second time in program history and first time since 2019. Smith (7:11.38) surged ahead of Wellesley (7:11.84) over the final 250 meters to take second. The 0.46 margin of victory proved to be the difference in determining the conference’s automatic qualifier, which is comprised of the varsity eight and the second varsity eight.  Coast Guard (7:17.66) was fourth followed up Clark (7:27.54), Mount Holyoke (7:38.51) and Simmons (8:17.49).

    In the second varsity eight, Wellesley jumped out to a quick lead but Smith (7:24.40) took it to another gear just past the Donahue Rowing Center to reach the finish line over second ahead of the Blue (7:31.74).  WPI (7:37.65) broke away late from Coast Guard (7:37.65) to take third while Clark (7:48.43) was fifth and Mount Holyoke sixth (8:01.18).

    Smith also won the final two races of the morning.  In the third varsity eight, the Pioneers (7:36.42) reached the final buoys ahead of Wellesley (7:40.20), WPI (7:52.7), Coast Guard (7:57.16) and Clark (8:40.78) while in the fourth varsity eight the Pioneers reached Regatta Point in 7:46.0 followed by Wellesley (7:55.91) and Coast Guard (8:11.41).

    The Pioneers also took the Florence Jope Smith Cup, awarded annually to the school with the highest number of points from the overall results at the event. Smith, which won for the ninth time and first time since 2010, finished first with 40 points followed by Wellesley with 32 points and WPI with 20. Coast Guard (20), Clark (12), Mount Holyoke (6), and Simmons (2) rounded out the final standings.

    Smith’s Linnea Schultz (Woodinville, Wash./Woodinville) was voted as the conference’s Rower of the Year while teammate Sofia Trotta (Guilford, Conn./The Gunnery) and WPI’s Emily Howard shared Coxswain of the Year accolades.

    Joining Schultz, Trotta and Howard on the All-Conference first team were WPI’s Maggie Kirwan, Jules Prisco, Megan Tupaj, Anya Hanitchak, Kaylee Liu of Wellesley and Megan Holm (Flagstaff, AZ/BASIS Flagstaff) and Anna Boden (Seattle, WA/Holy Names Academy) of Smith.

    Up Next
    Smith turns their attention to next week’s New England Championships, which is Saturday, May 4 on Lake Quinsigamond.

    Varsity Eight
    1. WPI – 7:09.70
    2. Smith – 7:11.38
    3. Wellesley – 7:11.84
    4. Coast Guard – 7:17.66
    5. Clark – 7:27.54
    6. Mount Holyoke – 7:38.51
    7. Simmons – 8:17.49

    Second Varsity Eight
    1. Smith – 7:24.40
    2. Wellesley – 7:31.74
    3. WPI – 7:35.48
    4. Coast Guard – 7:37.65
    5. Clark – 7:48.43
    6. Mount Holyoke – 8:01.18

    Third Varsity Eight
    1. Smith – 7:36.42
    2. Wellesley – 7:40.20
    3. WPI – 7:52.7
    4. Coast Guard – 7:57.16
    5. Clark – 8:40.78

    Fourth Varsity Eight
    1. Smith – 7:46.0
    2. Wellesley – 7:55.91
    3. Coast Guard – 8:11.41

    NEWMAC Championship AQ Standings
    1. Smith – 42
    2. WPI – 41
    3. Wellesley – 37
    4. Coast Guard – 30
    5. Clark – 25
    6. Mount Holyoke – 20
    7. Simmons – 15

    Florence Jope Smith Cup Standings
    1. Smith – 40
    2. Wellesley – 32
    3. WPI – 28
    4. Coast Guard – 20
    5. Clark – 12
    6. Mount Holyoke – 6
    7. Simmons – 2

    About Smith Athletics: Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log on to smithpioneers.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

    The Importance of Being Neutral

    Photo by Peter Spurrier.

    A priority of any coach or program should be to cultivate a welcoming environment. Rowing ought to be a sport where people of all kinds can find a seat in the boat as long as they want to do the work.

    It has become common for all sorts of organizations and institutions to “take a stand” on any number of issues—from the murder of George Floyd to the Israel-Hamas war. Text-only Instagram posts and statements on websites declare where a company, university, or sports team stands on the matter. This includes rowing teams and boathouses.

    No matter how well intended, this practice excludes inherently those who oppose the position. The righteousness of the stance aside, it also creates the expectation that once an organization comments on one issue it must comment on all, lest silence be misconstrued as acquiescence.

    It’s time for those of us in positions of power to explore how to create a place for open, respectful inquiry while fostering in our athletes a sense of self.

    In 1967, against the backdrop of student protests against the Vietnam War, the University of Chicago adopted a policy of “institutional neutrality” that was formalized in the Kalven Report. The product of a faculty committee led by First Amendment scholar Henry Kalven, it states:

    “The mission of the university is the discovery, improvement, and dissemination of knowledge. . . . To perform its mission in the society, a university must sustain an extraordinary environment of freedom of inquiry and maintain an independence from political fashions, passions, and pressures. . . . A university, if it is to be true to its faith in intellectual inquiry, must embrace, be hospitable to, and encourage the widest diversity of views within its own community.”

    Stanford, Columbia, and the University of North Carolina have adopted similar policies, and faculty groups at Yale, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania are pushing their administrations to follow suit.

    This is not a perfect solution, and institutional neutrality has its limits. Not all beliefs and opinions can be entertained while maintaining an environment that is safe and respectful. A university can refrain from releasing statements on racist acts across the country and still oppose racism vigorously on its own campus.

    Neutrality does not mean apathy or indifference. Rowers are also citizens and members of society. What goes on outside the boathouse is our business, too, and can affect the way we think, feel, and even perform on the water.

    This isn’t to say that individual team members and even coaches should refrain from expressing their personal views. Quite the contrary. By remaining neutral as a team, the stage is set for an honest exchange of ideas and perspectives among  members.

    As leaders within the sport of rowing who guide young people through their formative years, we have an obligation to help them find their voices and build their own belief systems, not parrot our own. 

    ACRA Poll: April 30

    Story and graphic courtesy of ACRA.
    Men’s ACRA Varsity Eight
    Rank Team (First Place Votes) Points
    1 University of Virginia (8) 116
    2 University of Notre Dame (1) 104
    3 University of California, Los Angeles (2) 93
    4 University of Minnesota (1) 86
    5 Rutgers University 58
    6 University of Michigan 57
    7 Orange Coast College 49
    8 George Washington University 43
    T – 9 Purdue University 25
    T – 9 Bucknell University 25
    Other: Washington State (3), Grand Valley State (1)
    Men’s ACRA Freshman/Novice Eight
    Rank Team (First Place Votes) Points
    1 Purdue University (6) 83
    2 Orange Coast College 82
    3 University of Virginia 66
    4 University of Minnesota 59
    T – 5 University of Michigan 48
    T – 5 Bucknell University 48
    7 University of California, Davis 34
    8 University of California, Los Angeles 29
    9 Rutgers University 15
    10 University of Southern California 11
    Others: Northwestern (10), Washington St (6), Florida (3), West Point (3)
    Women’s ACRA Varsity Eight
    Rank Team (First Place Votes) Points
    1 Vanderbilt (6) 86
    2 Purdue University 71
    3 Clemson University (2) 64
    4 University of Rhode Island (1) 54
    5 Bowdoin College 51
    6 University of California, Irvine 43
    7 Orange Coast College 39
    8 Northwestern University 38
    9 Middlebury College 30
    10 University of California, Santa Barbara 14
    Others: Vermont (5), Illinois (4), Florida (2), UC Davis (2), Wichita State (2)
    Women’s ACRA Frosh/Novice Eight
    Rank Team (First Place Votes) Points
    1 Purdue University (5) 70
    2 University of California, Santa Barbara (3) 63
    3 University of Florida 39
    4 University of Illinois 37
    5 Orange Coast College 36
    6 Washington University in St. Louis 33
    7 University of California, Irvine 30
    8 Vanderbilt University 17
    9 Northwestern University 14
    10 University of Central Florida 12
    Others: Rhode Island (11), Middlebury (10), Georgia (2), West Point (1), Vermont (1)

    Race Highlights: April 26-28

    Photo by Lisa Worthy.

    Longhorn Invite: We have a new mid-season top dog in DI women’s rowing after #2 Texas defeated #1 Stanford in both the varsity eight and second varsity eight, while the Cardinal came away with a narrow victory in the varsity four. In an event the was rescheduled and reformatted due to high winds, the top-two ranked teams in women’s rowing, along with #12 Virginia and #14 Ohio State, raced in head to head, dual-style races on Lake Walter E. Long Saturday morning. The Buckeyes also had a strong showing, sweeping the Cavaliers in all of the NCAA-class boats. Full results here.

    High School Scholastic Championships: As the junior season heats up, scholastic championships are starting to take place for high school crews around the country. This past weekend, the Garden State Scholastic Championships crowned the fastest high school crews in New Jersey while the FSRA Sweep Championships named the fastest scholastic sweep crews in Florida. Last weekend, the FSRA Sculling Championships did the same for the sculling teams.

     

    Lake Wheeler Invite: Tennessee continued their roll through the heart of the season, coming away from the Lake Wheeler Invite undefeated across 15 races, with wins over #10 Syracuse, #11 Penn, and #18 Washington State, while also scoring more points than #16 Duke who they did not face head to head. The real intrigue of the event comes for those crews fighting to make their case for at-large bids to the NCAA National Championships. Syracuse and Penn split two races in the varsity eight, though the Orange won both second varsity races. Margins off of Tennessee at Lake Wheeler and at last week’s Big Ten Invite suggest that Penn, Syracuse, Rutgers, and Indiana are all within less than two seconds of each other in the varsity eight.  Meanwhile, #18 Washington State defeated #16 Duke in the top boat, making their own case to upset the rankings. Also of note, UCF finished third in the overall points standings, sweeping their final four races on Saturday.  Full results can be found here.

    European Rowing Championships: The 2024 European Rowing Championships and European Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Regatta concluded on Sunday in Szeged, Hungary with Great Britain on top of the medal table, sweeping the men’s sweep events and finishing second in the women’s eight behind defending champs Romania. A total of 20 different nations won medals with champions coming from nine countries, including Norway who won their first ever gold for a women’s crew in an Olympic boat class at this level as Thea Helseth and Inger Seim Kavlie won the women’s double sculls, in addition to Birgit Skarstein’s gold in the PR1 women’s single sculls.  At the regatta, 10 crews punched their tickets to the Paris Olympic Games: individual neutral athlete Tatsiana Klimovich, Azerbaijan’s Diana Dymchenko, Ukrainian Yevheniia Dovhodko, Serbian Nikolaj Pimenov, Bulgaria’s Kristian Vasilev, and Belgian Tim Brys earned the nod in the single sculls; Poland and Austria qualified in the lightweight women’s double sculls; and Ukraine and Belgium in the lightweight men’s double sculls.