CAMDEN, N.J. - The Wisconsin women's lightweight rowing team wrapped up its season this morning by taking home some hardware at the 2025 IRA National Championships. The double sculls crew made up of Abbey DiChiara and Romy McCarthy came away with the silver medal in their event. It marked the boat's first podium finish since 2019.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Wisconsin came into the day looking to end their season on a high note, and they were to accomplish that. The sophomore duo of Abbey DiChiara and Romy McCarthy had been stellar all season long, and their hard work paid when they raced to the silver medal in their final race of the season. The future looks bright for this pair of underclassmen who will begin their junior campaigns next season.
Wisconsin also competed in the lightweight eight and lightweight four events and placed fifth in both races, and finished fifth as a team overall.
STRAIGHT FROM THE SHORE:
Head Coach Hodge Habibovic
"Today was a phenomenal step for our program. We had some extremely strong racing and results and this team has truly been something special this year. I am very proud of our double for getting on the podium with a strong 2nd place finish and being less than a second off of the national champs.
Our four had a very strong first half of the race and really bounced back after yesterday's performance in the heats. The varsity eight had another strong performance in their final as well by knocking off Stanford. This is a culmination of the hard work and trust this team put into one another all year and it's only the beginning. We raced a very young squad this weekend with only 2 seniors in the V8 and no seniors in the smaller boats.
We set out for this year to be a turning point for our team on the national stage and we took a step in the right direction on that goal. I'm so excited for next season already as this train is just starting to pull out of the station. The Wisco Lights will be a force for years to come."
IRA National Championships
June 1, 2025
Camden, New Jersey
Cooper River
2000 meters
Team Standings
1. Princeton, 67; 2. Harvard, 59; 3. Boston University, 57; 4. Georgetown, 52; 5. Wisconsin, 51; 6. Stanford, 42; 7. MIT, 32; 8. Gordon, 5
Lightweight Eight – Grand Final
1. Princeton, 6:19.32; 2. Harvard, 6:22.68; 3. Georgetown, 6:29.90; 4. Boston University, 6:37.96.; 5. Wisconsin, 6:40.50; 6. Stanford, 6:41.16
UW Lineup – Coxswain Sarah Rab, Payton Tonnos, Olivia Palmberg, Alex Palmberg, Rianne Wagner, Anika Hanson, Ella Springer, Claire Rulyak, Georgia Harlow
Lightweight Four – Grand Final
1. Princeton, 7:14.32; 2. MIT, 7:15.22; 3. Harvard, 7:18.82; 4. Boston University, 7:18.97; 5. Wisconsin, 7:25.96.; 6.Georgetown, 7:40.88; 7. Stanford, 7:41.92
UW Lineup – Coxswain Emilie Rochon, Charlotte Mirzaian, Audra Chesny, Payton Bradford, Adeline Hinkie
Lightweight Double Sculls – Grand Final
1. Boston, 7:37.35; 2. Wisconsin, 7:38.31; 3. MIT, 7:40.66; 4. Stanford, 7:49.47 5. Georgetown, 7:54.66; 6. Princeton, 7:57.21;
UW Lineup – Abbey DiChiara, Romy McCarthy
