PENNSAUKEN, NJ (May 30, 2025) – A thrilling come-from-behind victory by the second varsity highlighted the day as both Tufts University Men's Rowing eights qualified for Grand Finals at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championships on Friday.
Coach
George Munger's Jumbos will compete for a national championship tomorrow with the 2V8 Grand Final at 11:50 AM and the 1V8 Grand Final at 12:20 PM. Results from both races will determine the national champion, with first varsity race weighted more heavily.
Today in the heats, the second varsity trailed Wesleyan University by a small margin through the first half of the race. Over the third 500, the Jumbos pulled nearly even with the Cardinals to set up a dramatic race down the stretch. At the finish line, the Jumbos edged the Cardinals with a 5:57.710 mark to Wesleyan's 5:57.790 time, less than a tenth of a second difference. Both schools advance to tomorrow's Grand Final. Third- and fourth-place Colby College and Bates College, respectively, will row in a repechage later on Friday with a chance to earn a spot in the Grand Final.
In the first varsity heats earlier on Friday, Tufts waged a strong battle with Bates and took second place with a 5:53.940 mark. At the mid-point, less than one second separated the teams. Bates added slightly to its margin in the third 500 and then powered down the final 500 for a 5:49.290 victory. Both teams move on to the Grand Final, while Colby and Marietta College will compete in the Repechage.
The Jumbo second varsity which dramatically won its heat today was coxswain
Jamie Forman, stroke
Charlie Guerra, 7-
JT Machle, 6-
Owen McKendry, 5-
Lev Tolkoff, 4-
Seamus Ruiseal, 3-
Miles Smith, 2-
Xander Mesires and bow
Mason Sibley.
The Tufts 1V8 team had coxswain
Aidan Keusch, stroke
Patrick Moran, 7-
Peter McCormick, 6-
Harrison Sweet, 5-
Maxwell Rosenberger, 4-
Peter Conard, 3-
Max Landers, 2-
Mark Machle and bow
Theo Balavoine.
In the other heats today, Trinity (5:45.360) and Wesleyan advanced in the 1V8 with Williams College and Ithaca College going to the Repechage. Williams (6:03.060) and Trinity earned Grand Finals positions in the second varsity, where Ithaca and Marietta fell into the Repechage.
The Jumbos also had a varsity four entered at IRA's for the first time. The event was open to all IRA-eligible schools in Divisions I, II and III. It started with a time trial for all 39 teams, with Tufts' 6:22.853 mark placing them 25th and second among DIII teams. That moved the Jumbos into a fifth-level semifinal where among six squads they were fifth (6:43.410). They will finish the weekend in a MV4 fifth final on a Saturday morning at 10:16 AM.
The Jumbo team was coxswain
Lucas Resnik,
Alex Flynn,
Abe Nelson,
Ethan Seidner and
Hayden Stone.
--JUMBOS--
