Last Saturday, Bucknell matched up against Lehigh to conclude its regular season. One month ago, these teams exchanged a few extremely competitive pieces, but this time around they lined up to go at it the old-fashioned way, 2000 meters. Recalling the aggressive, scrappy Lehigh 1v it saw in April, Bucknell anticipated pressure down the entire course. As was predicted, Lehigh pushed Bucknell to its limit, rowing level with the 1v through the 1000. Crossing the halfway point, Bucknell made a move that yielded a half-length advantage, enough for the boat to keep an eye on its opponent and react to any counter-strikes. With 500 remaining, Bucknell shifted the rate to capture a couple more seats, and then again with roughly 30 seconds left. Ultimately the Bucknell 1v finished ahead of Lehigh by 8 or 9 seats. The Bucknell 2v, which also participated in the race, struggled to match the speed of either varsity eight and crossed the line behind the field by a few lengths of open water.
While the Bucknell 1v won, it hoped to have done so by a more decisive margin. Some of the finer details that were emphasized during practice leading into Saturday were not quite as polished as hoped. But that should not take away from the effort put in by Lehigh, who made Bucknell grind for every seat. This type of challenge primes Bucknell for tight racing next Saturday in Philadelphia where it will compete at the Dad Vail Regatta. Resilience and mental strength will be ever so crucial to keep pace with some of the fastest varsity programs in the country.
Bucknell 1v – 5:54.5
Lehigh 1v – 5:58.1
Bucknell 2v – 6:16.4
Lineups:
Varsity 8 – 2018 Resolute Midweight XT
Coxswain: Max Silverman ’22
Stroke: Phil Onffroy ’22
7: Andrew Viola ’24
6: Zach Gerhardt ’24
5: Davis MacKelcan ’22
4: Bobby Subak ’21
3: Kevin Carney ’24
2: Thomas Stone ’23
Bow: Jake Bardorf ’23
2nd Varsity 8 – Class of 1985
Coxswain: Izzy Mersky ’24
Stroke: Luke Lambropoulos ’24
7: Nathan Peot ’24
6: Cameron Baravalle ’24
5: Taylor LaRosa ’21
4: Jack Fiala ’23
3: Jackson Ingram ’21
2: Dominic Canale ’24
Bow: Aaron Swope ’22