Wisconsin heads east for 2018 IRAs

Wisconsin heads east for 2018 IRAs

May 31, 2018 | Men's Rowing

No. 14 Badgers hope to make national championship waves at Mercer

2018 IRA National Championships

Friday, June 1 - Sunday, June 3 | West Windsor, N.J.

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MADISON, Wis. — As the spring campaign draws to a close, the No. 14 Wisconsin men's rowing team will compete in one final test of speed, strength and willpower when it travels to West Windsor, New Jersey, for the 2018 Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships this Friday through Sunday at Mercer Lake.

After an experimental season of fine-tuning and reconfiguration, head coach Chris Clark believes he may have a varsity eight with the power to make some waves this weekend.

"Low and behold, we may have found a faster varsity eight," Clark said. "Certainly, on the watch and GPS, for the first time this year, we've got an eight that has some speed that was not demonstrated earlier this season. You are never really certain until you have raced down the course at the national championships but things look more promising than a couple weeks ago."

After jumping eight spots from the 2016 regatta to take 11th overall in last year's competition, Wisconsin's varsity eight earned an at-large bid into this year's championships and will compete in the third heat of the opening race on Friday. The race is slated for a 7:20 a.m. CT start.

The Badgers will join perennial powers No. 3 Cal and No. 6 Princeton, as well as No. 11 Dartmouth. No. 18 Florida Institute of Technology and Marist in the third heat.

The Badgers have a storied past both as a team and in the varsity eight at the IRAs. Wisconsin has won the second-most Ten Eyck Trophies in history with 14 crowns. In addition, the Badgers brought home the varsity eight title in 2008 with an exciting victory over then-No. 1 Washington, and owns eight IRA varsity eight titles all-time.

The IRAs bring the best collegiate rowing programs from around the country to one body of water, and the competition in this year's regatta looks to be fierce as ever.

But despite the formidable skill and talent of this season's championship pool, Clark is reminded of Wisconsin's promising tendency to stick to program tradition.

"We are, by design and default, a "Development" program so we often get dramatic gains at the very end of the season," Clark said. "We sure hope this is one of those times."

2018 IRA National Championships
West Windsor, N.J.
Lake Mercer
June 1-3
2000 meters

Wisconsin's Friday Schedule
Varsity Eight Heat 3 - 7:20 a.m. CT
(Top two to Saturday semifinals, rest to Friday afternoon repechage)
California, Princeton, Dartmouth, Wisconsin, FIT, Marist

UW Lineup: Coxswain Theodore Van Beek, Nickolas Montalvo, William Alt, Jonah Van der Weide, Andrew Griffin, Dylan Adams, Tristan Amberger, Alexander Butler, Thomas Walker

Second Varsity Eight Heat 2 - 8:09 a.m. CT
(Top two to Saturday semifinals, rest to Friday afternoon repechage)
Princeton, Harvard, Wisconsin, Navy, Temple

UW Lineup: Coxswain Cameron Pak, John Hollow, Philipp Bogdanov, Kurt Mueller, James Bernard, Kyle McCarthy, Nathan Petersen, Tyler Stevens, Jacob Wenner

Third Varsity Eight Heat 4 - 9:03 a.m. CT
(Top two to Saturday semifinals, rest to Friday afternoon repechage)
Princeton, Harvard, Navy, Wisconsin

UW Lineup: Coxswain Kaz Kishiue-Koval, Matthew Palmer, John Young, Adam Wehking, Will Klauke, Tim Zogleman, Luke VandenHeuvel, Evan Miller, Chase Covey

Varsity Four Heat 2 - 9:21 a.m. CT
(Top two to Saturday semifinals, rest to Friday afternoon repechage)
MIT, Princeton, Syracuse, MSOE, Wisconsin
UW Lineup: Coxswain Ian Tunney, Parker Brooks, Samuel Wheeler, Andrew Flannery, Tyler Bernstein