Bucknell hosts Michigan, Mercyhurst & Lehigh to begin racing season

This past weekend, Bucknell officially began its spring racing season by hosting Mercyhurst, Lehigh and notable ACRA rival, Michigan. Prior to racing, the team honored the Class of 2020 by christening and naming its top shell after the class which had its season unexpectedly cut short by the pandemic. In addition to naming the boat, Coach Dan recognized each member of the class by finally handing them their Bucknell blade. By the conclusion of the ceremony, all team members – old and new – were eager to take to the water.

In the early going, the weather presented itself as a key factor that crews would need to navigate throughout the entire day. Snow, rain and even hail took turns while wind gusts blew as high as 30mph. These conditions, combined with a choppy head current, led to some difficult racing. Nevertheless, each team welcomed the challenge and battled through it.

Overall the team saw mixed results. The 1v seemed to collect themselves from a disorganized morning race and rebound in the afternoon versus Michigan, finishing just a boat length behind. The 2v posted two consistent performances versus the Michigan 1F and 2v, starting each race clean and building an early lead. The 3v had a rough start to its morning race but adjusted nicely to beat both the Michigan 1F and 2F in the afternoon. Lastly, several novice rowers gained meaningful experience in the 4+ despite some large margins between themselves and the competition.

Bucknell will visit New York next Saturday where it will duel the Cornell Lightweights in the morning and match up against one of Hobart College and Ithaca College in the afternoon.

Varsity 8+ (AM)
Mercyhurst – 6:29.0
Bucknell – 6:43.8

Varsity 8+ (PM)
Michigan – 6:19.9
Bucknell – 6:23.6

2nd Varsity 8+ (AM)
Bucknell – 6:49.7
Michigan 1F – 7:17.8

2nd Varsity 8+ (PM)
Bucknell – 6:46.5
Michigan 2v – 6:58.5

3rd Varsity 8+ (AM)
Michigan – 6:59.3
Bucknell – 7:12.7
Michigan 2F – 7:21.0

3rd Varsity 8+ (PM)
Bucknell – 7:06.7
Michigan 2F – 7:14.9
Michigan 1F – 7:20.8

4+ (AM)
Mercyhurst (Heavy) – 7:39.4
Bucknell – 9:56.8

4+ (PM)
Michigan (Frosh) – 8:56.9
Bucknell – 11:00.3

Lineups:
1st Varsity 8 – Class of 2020
Coxswain: Max Silverman, Sr.
Stroke: Phil Onffroy, Sr.
7: Andrew Viola, So.
6: Zach Gerhardt, So.
5: Conor McNichols, Fr.
4: Jack Fiala, Jr.
3: Kevin Carney, So.
2: Thomas Stone, Sr.
Bow: Luca Arvanitis, Fr.

2nd Varsity 8 – Class of 1985
Coxswain: Izzy Mersky, So.
Stroke: Luke Lambropoulos, So.
7: Dirk Puleo, Fr.
6: Aidan DeWitt, Fr.
5: Christian Sieck, Sr.
4: Andy Thompson, Fr.
3: Nick Caravias, Sr.
2: Sen Zelov, Fr.
Bow: Aaron Swope, Sr.

3rd Varsity 8 – Trustee Challenge
Coxswain: Emma Minadeo, Jr.
Stroke: Brent Mankin, Jr.
7: Brian Skeels, Jr.
6: Mason Cametas, Jr.
5: Will Amrhein, So.
4: Zenable Adisalem, Fr.
3: Dan Van Syckle, Jr.
2: Ryan Daly, So.
Bow: Miles Kline, Fr.

4+
Stroke: Ben Weggeland, Jr.
3: Dan Van Horne, Sr.
2: Will Kernodle, Fr.
Bow: Cian Nowak, Sr.
Coxswain: Brendan Arnold, So.