Men's Rowing Opens Spring Tomorrow Hosting Other Top National Teams

MEDFORD, MA (April 7, 2023) - The Tufts University men's rowing team will get an early measure of where they stand among Division III's top teams on Saturday when they open the 2023 spring racing season at home against Williams College, Trinity College and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

In the first-ever Division III national championship race at the IRA's on Lake Mercer last June, Tufts finished as the national runner-up behind Williams and ahead of Trinity. Now these top three teams from 2022 meet in a spectacular early-season event on Malden River tomorrow.

The Jumbos raced one varsity eight at the IRA's last year and five members of that team are back this year. Coxswain Rachel Halliday, stroke Nick Kuranda, Will Landers, John Griffin and Ryan Hankins, who helped Tufts power past Trinity down the stretch at the national championship to take second place, have returned to lead the 2023 team. Alex Maykel, a first-varsity starter who was unable to row at the national championship, and Liam Jenkins, who rowed with the first varsity this past fall, are also back. 

At the Head of the Charles (HORC) last October, the signature event of the fall rowing season, Tufts' top eight featuring this group had a seventh-place effort that was the top finish ever by a Tufts men's crew at the HORC.

Griffin and Maykel, now captains for coach George Munger's Jumbos, were IRCA first team All-Americans in 2022. Second team accolades went to Hankins and Halliday. Griffin was a first-team selection for the second straight year and Hankins was an honorable mention pick for 2021.

Several members of the Jumbo second varsity eight that was third at the National Invitational Rowing Championships to conclude their 2022 season - Tufts' top finish at that regatta - are also back for 2023. Stroke Drew Niles, George Lakis, Harrison Sweet, Corbin Steck, Teddy Schneider and Ryan Kane add to the top-heavy talent on this spring's squad.

The deep depth of the Jumbos includes seven men who were starting for the third varsity eight at the end of last season - stroke Andrew Fisher, Nick Briano, Henry Gray, Gonzalo Escajadillo, Charlie Guerra and Brendan McHugh. Other returnees feature senior tri-captain and coxswain Logan McLennan, Peter Battle, Nick Gravenites, Griffin Hardy, James Luck and Chris Millay. Alden Taylor started for the third eight at HORC.

Tufts did lose four rowers off its team from the IRA race and six others who were starting for Jumbo boats at the end of last season, but added a strong freshman class. At the Head of the Charles, the Jumbos' first varsity line-up included freshmen Max Nusbaum and Eric Rohloff. Classmates Aidan Keusch (coxswain), Xander Mesires and Miles Smith rowed on the 2V8 at the regatta, while Colin Cooper started for the 3V8. 

The Jumbos' freshman eight that earned a runner-up place at the Head of the Fish to finish the fall included Saul Meacham, Robert Arsenault, Abe Nelson, Peter McCormick, Maxwell Rosenberger, Alex Flynn and Aleksi Sefanov. Other first-years who are projected to start in Tufts' four eights and a four tomorrow are Michelle Chua (cox), Nathan Henderson, Elias Leggat-Barr, Fritz Oldenburg and Nole Wade (cox).

All of this potential has the Tufts team working hard to earn more success in 2023.

"This year the focus has been on separating goals from dreams," Munger said. "Goals require action and responsibility, while dreams are passive. This iteration of Tufts Men's Rowing has done a great job of taking ownership over their experience, and are pushing one another to improve. The competition within practice has been great, and the whole team has been graciously giving and receiving the gift of competitive pressure. We are excited to use racing as an expression of the quality of our preparation."