CAMBRIDGE, MA (October 19, 2025) – A second-place finish by the first varsity boat led an excellent performance by the Tufts University men's rowing team in the Collegiate Eights event at the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR) today.
The Jumbo 1V8 was the runner-up behind only Division I College of the Holy Cross out of 42 teams in the Collegiate Eights event. Tufts' time of 14:38.707 was first among Division III teams.
The only team with three entries in the race, the Jumbos placed all three teams in the top 20 overall. Tufts' second varsity was 11th in the Collegiate Eights event with a 15:01.436 mark, and the Jumbo 3V8 placed 18th with a 15:14.826 finish.
All three teams made strong moves in the second half of the race, particularly the first varsity. They were 11th at the first checkpoint and eighth at the second, before moving up to second-place at the third checkpoint and finishing there. The 2V8 was 18th at the second checkpoint before a strong finish for 11th. Like the 2V8, Tufts' third boat moved up five places in the final stretch of the race.
"I thought the (1V8) boat performed great even with some challenging circumstances on the course," coxswain
Aidan Keusch said. "I'm proud of how the boys stayed calm, held their nerve, and kept the focus within the hull. It's a true testament to the crew we have. We were also able to requalify all three of our boats in the collegiate 8+ event which really shows the depth of the squad this year. I couldn't be more excited heading into the spring season with this group and am looking forward to a productive winter."
Tufts' first varsity lineup today featured Vincent Mezzanotte,
Maxwell Rosenberger,
Peter Conard,
Peter McLaughlin,
Mark Machle,
Max Nusbaum,
Xander Mesires,
Theo Balavoine and coxswain
Aidan Keusch.
For the 2V8, Tufts raced with Seamas Ruiseal,
Peter McCormick,
Harrison Sweet,
Lev Tolkoff,
Ethan Seidner,
Miles Smith,
Owen McKendry,
Alex Flynn and coxswain
Lexi Acosta.
The Tufts third varsity squad started
Logan Raymond,
Whit Smyers,
Oliver Sjoholm, Alexander Matthews,
Parker Mace,
Ben Sackrey,
Fritz Oldenburg,
Mason Sibley and coxswain
Nina Suhrbier.
The prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta has been held since 1965, making this year's event the 60th in its history. The regatta is recognized as the world's largest three-day rowing event, attracting thousands of athletes and spectators each year.
The HOCR is the end of Tufts' fall schedule. The Jumbos, the IRA national runner-up last spring, will return to action in March for the 2026 spring racing schedule.
--JUMBOS--
