Last weekend, Bucknell visited New Brunswick, NJ to race fellow club competitors, Rutgers and Delaware. Knowing that it would likely see each of these opponents in the semifinal at ACRAs this May, Bucknell understood the significance of this race.
The 3v kicked off the afternoon with an impressive performance. Assigned the lane with the inside turn, the crew lined up five seats down on Rutgers. Within the first twenty strokes, that difference was made up and the boat kept its foot on the pedal, ultimately finishing ahead by nearly thirty seconds.
The 2v followed up with an equally dominant piece, establishing an early enough lead on the field that its primary competitor became the clock.
Looking to complete the sweep, Bucknell relied on the 1v to get the job done. One week prior, it lost to Rutgers by one second at the Kerr Cup. Rewinding even further to April 10, it surrendered an open water lead to Delaware in the petite final of the Knecht Cup. Naturally, the crew was eager to put together a complete race and prove that it had made up ground on both teams. Through the first 1500m it appeared so: Bucknell entered the homestretch with an open water lead on Delaware and a slim advantage on Rutgers. As the boat inched towards the finish line, however, Rutgers clawed away at its lead one stroke at a time. Bucknell failed to counter with a move of its own and lost in heartbreaking fashion by just .04 seconds. While defeat is never an easy pill to swallow, Bucknell did feel encouraged by its ability to fend off Delaware.
Next weekend officially marks championship season, as Bucknell will compete for the MARC Championship on the Occoquan Reservoir. Bucknell walked away with the team points trophy the last time it attended this regatta, having secured wins in the first, second and third varsity eight categories.
1st Varsity 8+
Rutgers – 6:12.1
Bucknell – 6:12.5
Delaware – 6:21.0
2nd Varsity 8+
Bucknell – 6:39.4
Rutgers – 7:00.9
Delaware – 7:13.8
3rd Varsity 8+
Bucknell – 6:52.3
Rutgers – 7:20.0
Lineups:
1st Varsity 8 – 2022 Hudson S8.32 SHARK Super Predator
Coxswain: Izzy Mersky, So.
Stroke: Phil Onffroy, Sr.
7: Andrew Viola, So.
6: Zach Gerhardt, So.
5: Conor McNichols, Fr.
4: Jack Fiala, Jr.
3: Dirk Puleo, Fr.
2: Thomas Stone, Sr.
Bow: Aaron Swope, Sr.
2nd Varsity 8 – Class of 2020
Coxswain: Max Silverman, Sr.
Stroke: Luke Lambropoulos, So.
7: Nathan Peot, So.
6: Sen Zelov, Fr.
5: Christian Sieck, Sr.
4: Andy Thompson, Fr.
3: Kevin Carney, So.
2: Ryan Spallone, Fr.
Bow: Luca Arvanitis, Fr.
3rd Varsity 8 – Class of 1985
Coxswain: Emma Minadeo, Jr.
Stroke: Aidan DeWitt, Fr.
7: Nick Caravias, Sr.
6: Dominic Canale, So.
5: Dan Van Syckle, Jr.
4: Will Amrhein, So.
3: Ryan Daly, So.
2: Brian Skeels, Jr.
Bow: Brent Mankin, Jr.