Men's Crew Wraps Up Regular Season at Kerr Cup, Highlighted by a 3rd Place Finish in the 3rd Varsity Eight

Bucknell Men's Crew traveled to windy Philadelphia for the 57th Kerr Cup Regatta hosted by Drexel University. This race marked the end of the regular season for the team, with only the MARC Conference and ACRA National Championship Regattas left on the schedule. The varsity 8, 2nd varsity 8, 3rd varsity 8, freshman 8, and both JV 4s all had to place top three in their heat to make the grand final, while the novice 4 and varsity double were final only races. The Kerr Cup has provided a good opportunity to knock off D1 competition while also showing ACRA rivals like Michigan, Rutgers, George Washington, and Lehigh.

The freshman 8 started the day strong, winning their heat by open water and punching their ticket to the final with Rutgers, Michigan, GW, Michigan B, and Delaware rounding out the field. The crew blasted off the line in the final, quickly establishing themselves as leaders with Michigan and Rutgers. Heading through the bridge the crew pulled into the lead over Michigan by a seat. Around 1250 into the race the conditions caused the crew to falter and lose their rhythm. They ultimately slipped back from Michigan and Rutgers, and were nabbed at the line by GW to finish 4th. The crew met post race with heads hung, knowing they let the win slip away, but 3 seat Aidan Cassidy kept things positive saying "We have 4 more weeks to get it right, let's head into practice next week knowing that every stroke counts. We need to bring focus to every session." The crew will look to improve upon their strong start and base through the end of the season.

Next down the course came the JV4s. The A four raced first and beat crews from Michigan, Lehigh, and GW, in order to secure a spot in the final. The B four narrowly beat out Temple's boat and finished 3rd to also secure a spot in the final. The crews finished 5th and 6th in the final, right on Michigan's heels.

The 3rd varsity 8 went into their heat knowing they would have a tough race against D1 opponents Drexel and La Salle but that they could get into the grand final by getting the third spot. They did just that, beating out ACRA rival Rutgers. In the final, they faced D1 opponents St. Joes, La Salle, two boats from Drexel, and a Michigan crew to whom they had lost earlier in the season. Determined and urged on by novice coxswain Caly Kuzdzal, the crew delivered a gutsy race, coming from down to finish in 3rd place, losing only to Drexel and La Salle.

The 2nd varsity 8 had the same set up as the 3rd varsity 8, and were able to beat out Delaware for the 3rd qualifying spot in their heat. They moved onto the final where they beat local rival Lehigh and finished 5th.

The varsity 8 raced last in the morning heats. Though they had a strong start, the crew struggled to find their rhythm and did not put together a strong piece. Determined to right themselves, the crew blasted off the line in the petite final, leading wire to wire and getting open water in the field. Though it was not how they had hoped the day would go, the varsity 8 ended strongly and looks to improve for the rest of the season. Senior Seneker Zelov reinforced this by saying "our first race fell far below the standards we've set for ourselves, and we let bad conditions take control. Because of the strong bond our boat has built this spring, we talked between races and came into the petite final and brought more energy and intensity. It paid off with an open water win and a good time, and we look to reassert ourselves at MARCs and ACRAs."

The varsity double raced in the masters event with a mix of collegiate and masters crews. Due to the conditions the race was shortened to a 1k. The Bison found themselves in a close race for third, ultimately coming up short by one second.

The novice four came through the halfway mark of the final with contact on Michigan and in contention for 3rd place. In the end, they couldn't sustain the pace through the end of the race, and they finished in 4th.

Next up for the Bison is the Mid Atlantic Rowing Conference Championship on May 5th in Mercer, NJ. The team will look to repeat as three time defending team champions.

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: Jack Lieblein, Jr.
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: 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.

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.
Bow: Ben Cowan, Fr.

JV4+ A – Free Speed
Coxswain: Josiah Kwok, Jr.
Stroke: Griffin Walsh, Jr.
3: Joe Hofmann, So.
2: Peter Nasto, Jr.
Bow: Tommy Smith, So.

JV4+ B – 2017 Sykes
Coxswain: Anna Solar, So.
Stroke: Oliver Abushacra, Jr.
3: Robert Canestrari
2: Charlie Theodore, Fr.
Bow: Travis Stanitis, Jr.

Novice 4+ – 2011
Coxswain: Luke Catalanello, So.
Stroke: Sam Langlois, Fr.
3: Daniel Belden, Fr.
2: Zach Friedman, Fr.
Bow: Franklin Enkhmandakh, Fr.

Varsity 2x - The Hammer
Stroke: Solomon Bell, So.
Bow: Chris Morale, Jr.

Men's Crew Wraps Up Regular Season at Kerr Cup, Highlighted by a 3rd Place Finish in the 3rd Varsity Eight

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Players Mentioned

Oliver Abushacra

Luca Arvanitis

Daniel Belden

Solomon Bell

Will Blumenthal

Sebastian Brandt

Robert Canestrari

Aidan Cassidy

Hunter Cassidy

Luke Catalanello

Miles Clyde

Ben Cowan

Will Curtis

Neil Davidek

Sean Doherty

Franklin Enkhmandakh

Ryan Firestone

Zach Friedman

Ryan Genel

Jack Greenleaf

Joe Hofmann

Tennyson Kelly

Christopher Kirby

John Kirincich

Kristian Komorowski

Caly Kuzdzal

Josiah Kwok

Sam Langlois

Tyler Leong

Jack Lieblein

Jackson Lilley

Conor McNichols

Jacob Mohr

Chris Morale

Peter Nasto

Cornelius Nichilo

Tiarnan Nowak

Connor Orkin

Wesley Peot

Tim Robertson

Jonas Sanchez

Cristofer Santanna

Peter Schmidt

Tommy Smith

Anna Solar

Ryan Spallone

Travis Stanitis

Soren Stein

Charlie Theodore

Tanner Tighelaar

Griffin Walsh

Helton Young

Seneker Zelov

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