Bucknell University
George Washington Invitational
Fast Times & Strong Finishes for Bucknell Men's Crew at GW Invite
4/14/2025 2:16:00 PM | Men's Crew
The Bucknell Bison traveled to Washington D.C. on April 12th-13th for the George Washington Invite. With most of the top 10 ACRA programs in the country set to attend, the team knew it would be a weekend with big implications on seeding for the ACRA National Championship Regatta in May. Other teams in attendance included the University of Virginia, Rutgers, George Washington, Delaware, North Carolina, Minnesota, and Washington State. The event was structured into three sessions, held on Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, and Sunday morning, with each session comprising several races involving three boats per race. "This event has become a pivotal event in our spring calendar," Head Coach Dan Wolleben said. "It provides our team with a mid season opportunity to race against some of the strongest ACRA programs in the country, gauge our progress, and prepare us for the ACRA National Championships in May." A more detailed schedule with entries and results can be found here.
The varsity 8 started off the day strong by posting the fastest time of the morning as well as defeating #8 ranked Delaware and #13 GWU. In their second race of the day they matched up against #1 Virginia and #10 WSU. Knowing it would be a tough match, the Bison took the course by storm, never losing contact with the top seed and finishing second by 1 length. Though they did not win the race, the crew closed the ground dramatically from their past few matchups with Virginia and ensured that the work they're putting in is moving them in the right direction. In their final match on Sunday morning, the crew defeated #14 Minnesota and North Carolina, securing their place as one of the top varsity 8s coming out of the regatta. Junior seven seat Ryan Genel echoed this sentiment: "it was a good weekend where the entire team got to test their speed against crews they'll compete against for a National Championship. The Varsity 8 had a great weekend lining up against some fast crews and throwing down some fast times."
The second varsity 8 had a similar weekend to the varsity 8. They started off with a victory over GWU and Delaware and posted the fastest time of all second varsity 8s for the morning. In their second race of the day the crew fell to Virginia and defeated WSU. Feeling like they did not have their best race, the crew sought to rally and perform for their final matchup against Minnesota and North Carolina. Despite the fact that Minnesota was closer to Virginia than Bucknell had been, the crew showed composure, battling back from being down by over a length to walk through the Minnesota crew and claim the victory over North Carolina as well. The second varsity 8 showed that they were one of the top crews of the weekend. Junior Christopher Kirby said "it was great to see the improvements from the past few weeks of training have translated to the racing environment. Beating some opponents that beat us last year gives us some good confidence through the end of the spring, but we know we can't sit."
The third varsity 8 built their confidence in a new lineup with a win over Rutgers and Delaware to start the morning. In their second race, the Bison matched up against Virginia and Rutgers. The new lineup led by junior stroke seat Tim Robertson and bolstered by senior captain Luca Arvanitis blasted off the line and built a half length lead over the Cavaliers by the finish line. Now looking like the top third varsity eight of the regatta, the crew looked to defend their position on Sunday morning against Virginia and North Carolina. The crew again blasted off the line, this time getting a full length lead by the 1k mark. Unfortunately, as conditions deteriorated the crew caught a boat stopping crab and lost their lead to Virginia, ultimately crossing the line a length down to them. Despite this loss they ensured that they're moving in the right direction and putting themselves in the ballpark as defending national champions.
The fourth varsity 8 was set up for an interesting weekend, having the same matchup against Virginia and North Carolina set for all three races. The crew performed brilliantly despite a changing lineup for each race. Not only did they win but they increased their margin of victory in each race. Junior Peter Nasto summed it up by saying "This weekend was a great success for the 4V. From when the 4V started practicing in early March we have seen a tremendous increase in our power, speed, and technical ability. This is the last weekend the 4V will race in an 8+ lineup so we made a goal to have our most successful race yet, and we think we accomplished that by winning all three of our races."
The freshman 8 started the morning strong. Though they fell to a good GW crew, they maintained contact and defeated Delaware. In their second race against Virginia and Rutgers, the crew struggled to find their rhythm and crossed the line in third place. Looking to bounce back in their final race against Rutgers and Delaware, the crew closed the margin to Rutgers and again defeated Delaware.
The varsity 4 raced only twice and both times against GWU. The GWU crew was effectively their fourth 8 of guys while the Bucknell crew was comprised of members of what would be the sixth 8. The crew won their first matchup against GWU in a tight race and fell in the second. Despite the loss in the second race, the crew remains optimistic about the end of the year. Freshman walkon Zach Friedman said after racing "the goal… it's ACRAs"
The team finished with nine wins, six second place finishes, and only one loss on the weekend. Next up the Bison head to the Kerr Cup on the Schuylkill river in Philadelphia on April 19th.
1st Varsity 8+ – 2025 Hudson U8.32 Ultra Super Predator "Stealth"
Coxswain: Tyler Leong, So.
Stroke: Christopher Kirby, Jr.
7: Ryan Genel Jr.
6: Seneker Zelov, Sr.
5: Miles Clyde, So.
4: Kristian Komorowski, So.
3: Soren Stein, So.
2: Tanner Tighelaar, So.
Bow: Sebastian Brandt, So.
2nd Varsity 8+ – 2024 Hudson U8.43 Ultra Super Predator "Shark"
Coxswain: Regine Escher, So.
Stroke: Wesley Peot, So.
7: Jacob Mohr, So.
6: Tiarnan Nowak, So.
5: Conor McNichols, Sr.
4: Jack Greenleaf, So.
3: Jackson Lilley, Fr.
2: Ryan Spallone, Sr.
Bow: John Kirincich, Jr.
3rd Varsity 8+ – 2022 Hudson S8.32 Super Predator
Coxswain: Jack Lieblein, Jr. / Caly Kuzdzal, Fr.
Stroke: Tim Robertson, Jr.
7: Tennyson Kelly, So.
6: Jonas Sanchez, So.
5: Luca Arvanitis, Sr.
4: Cornelius Nichilo, So.
3:Connor Orkin, So.
2: Ryan Firestone, Jr.
Bow: Will Blumenthal, Jr.
4th Varsity 8+ – Class of 2020
Coxswain: Caly Kuzdzal, Fr. / Anna Solar, So. / Jack Lieblein, Jr.
Stroke: Sam Langlois, Fr.
7: Tommy Smith, So.
6: Chris Morale, Jr.
5: Joe Hofmann, So.
4: Ben Cowan, Fr. / Charlie Theodore, Fr. / Franklin Enkhmandakh, Fr.
3: Griffin Walsh, Jr.
2: Peter Nasto, Jr.
Bow: Travis Stanitis, Jr.
Novice 8+ – 2022 Hudson S8.32 Super Predator
Coxswain: Sean Doherty, Fr.
Stroke: Will Curtis, Fr.
7: Helton Young, Fr.
6: Peter Schmidt, Fr.
5: Neil Davidek, Fr.
4: Cristofer Santanna, Fr.
3: Aidan Cassidy, Fr.
2: Hunter Cassidy, Fr.
1: Charlie Theodore, Fr. / Ben Cowan, Fr.
Novice 4+ – 2011
Coxswain: Josiah Kwok, Jr. / Anna Solar, So.
Stroke: Luke Catalanello, So.
3: Daniel Belden, Fr.
2: Zach Friedman, Fr.
1: Franklin Enkhmandakh, Fr.
Players Mentioned
