Best Ever Finish for Men’s Crew at ACRA National Championship

Friday, May 15

Oak Ridge, Tenn.

TBA

Bucknell University

ACRA National Championships

2026 ACRA Varsity 8 Silver Medalists

Best Ever Finish for Men’s Crew at ACRA National Championship

5/19/2026 4:12:00 PM | Men's Crew

Best Ever Finish for Men’s Crew at ACRA National Championship

By: Andrew Viola

Men's Crew had nine boats race at the American Collegiate Rowing Association National Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge Tennessee from May 15th through 17th. After a long spring of successful regattas the team delivered another outstanding performance on the most important weekend of the season. Last year the team finished fourth in team points with nine athletes walking away with gold medals. This year the team finished third overall – its best ever finish – with five out nine boats or 32 out of 50 athletes earning medals. Thanks to the full team effort, the squad also took home the small boat points trophy for the first time ever. A full schedule and official results from the three days of racing can be found here. Recorded livestreams of all racing can be seen on the HereNow Sports YouTube page.

The #2 ranked varsity eight entered the weekend undefeated in official racing this spring. Knowing they had some serious speed, the crew looked to perform when it mattered most. Their first race came on Friday in a heat against #9 Minnesota, rival team Michigan, and others. Despite a strong start from Minnesota, the Bison established themselves as the best crew and cruised to victory by open water. In the semifinals on Saturday, things didn't go as smoothly. The boat was set to race against #3 Notre Dame, #6 UCLA, #7 Delaware, UNC, and Georgia Tech. During their warm up on the water, the varsity eight experienced an equipment failure where their rigger broke. Acting quickly, coxswain Tyler Leong got in touch with race officials and coaches. The solution was simple: use the second varsity eight's shell and go back out and race. Despite not having their own shell, the boat rallied around each other and went back up to the start line with renewed determination. The race was an exciting one, with UCLA blasting off the line to an early lead and Notre Dame hanging around with the Bison. Ultimately, the base pace of the varsity eight was too strong, and they pulled ahead of the two other crews by about half a length. Notre Dame and UCLA continued to fight stroke for stroke, pushing the Bison all the way down the course. The varsity eight got the job done, winning the race by two seconds with the fastest time of the day. It was the first time since 2017 that a Bucknell varsity eight had made the grand final at the ACRA.

Keeping emotions down, the crew prepped for one last race together. On Sunday they faced off against #1 Purdue, #4 Orange Coast, #5 Virginia, #6 UCLA, and #9 Minnesota. Purdue seized the lead early on and the fight for 2nd place followed behind them. Through 500 it was anyone's guess for 2nd place, but the Bison's base speed again pushed them ahead of the field through the middle 1k, with Virginia and UCLA sitting less than half a length down on them. The Bison owned the last 500, holding off late charges from Virginia and Orange Coast and cementing their silver medal. After the race, team captain and stroke seat Chris Kirby reflected on the accomplishment, saying "this whole season has been a great way to cap off senior year. All season we knew we could be a serious medal contender but you never know until you cross the finish line. This weekend the boat showed all the work we'd done to get here." The result represented years of development for the program, something senior Ryan Genel emphasized while discussing the crew's growth. Supporting his pair partner Kirby, Genel said, "as one of the seniors on the team, it's been awesome to see the evolution of the varsity eight and the team in the last four years. The seniors on the team have put in so much work, and this result was a testament to that. I am extremely proud of how this crew came together."

Unlike the varsity eight, the second varsity eight lineup changed frequently throughout the spring season. Having found their stride in the final weeks leading up to the ACRA, the crew was excited to show their growth from the year. In the heats, they finished 2nd to a strong Virginia crew after leading for a good chunk of the race. In the semifinal the crew knew it would take a strong race to take top three and move onto the grand final. Trailing only Purdue, the boat stormed down the course and took the second qualifying spot. The final was a phenomenal race; The crew got off the line well with Purdue and Virginia, and Notre Dame just behind them. Through the middle of the race Virginia and Purdue pulled ahead, and Bucknell and Notre Dame battled for third. Going stroke for stroke for the final 1k, Notre Dame pulled ahead with about 250 to go, just edging out the Bison by two seconds. Making the grand final was an accomplishment in itself, but the crew had set their sights higher. After having some time to think about the race, Junior Tiarnan Nowak noted how he "was proud of the effort put forward in the race even if it wasn't the result we were looking for.

As back to back defending champs the target is on your back. In the most competitive field of the third varsity eight ever, the third varsity eight knew they had their work cut out for them. Despite leading for most of their heat, the crew finished second to a strong Purdue Crew. In the final, they looked to right the ship and reassert themselves. The crew did just that, going from 5 seconds behind Purdue to 8 seconds ahead of them in the final. The fight was on between the Bison and the top seeded crew from Michigan. The two crews fought for first all the way down the course, but ultimately the Wolverines pulled ahead in the second half. The Bison finished second, marking the fifth consecutive year that Bucknell has medaled in the event.

On Friday, the quad flew down to the course to win their heat by open water. Onto the grand final with the fastest time, the boat looked to take home gold. At the same time that the varsity eight broke their rigger, the quad was lining up for their grand final. Less than ten strokes into the race, another error struck the team as the rigger in the bow seat of the quad snapped. Despite being in the breakage zone when the rigger broke and raising their hands to protest, the official kept the other crews racing. After much deliberation, the officials decided to let the boat re-race with fixed equipment in a time trial of sorts. Overcoming adversity again, the crew lined up for their second chance, and never looked back. They stamped their authority on Lake Melton, beating the winner of the final by five seconds and winning Bucknell's first ever medal in the event, a golden one at that.

The varsity four entered the weekend with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove. Never having raced together, the guys were determined to put together a strong performance. In the heat, the boat did their job and secured a spot in the ABC semifinal while beating Michigan and the top boats from other programs. In the semifinal, first or second would earn a spot in the grand final while third or fourth would go to the B final. The crew found themselves in fifth after the first 500. Knowing fourth or better would secure them a spot in the B final and guarantee the best ever finish for a Bucknell varsity four, the crew raced hard. Led by the experience of seniors Oliver Abushacra and Travis Stanitis, the boat laid down a strong middle 1k to move through Ohio State's top boat and secure a spot in the B final. In the final the crew fought hard all the way down the course, ultimately finishing sixth in the B final good for 12th out of 30 plus entries.

The novice four spent the whole month leading into ACRAs together, giving them time to develop and build trust with one another. Every day in practice this crew raced to get their bowball ahead, no matter the distance. Heading into ACRAs, they had some serious speed to test. In one of the most subscribed events at the regatta, the novice four's path to the grand final was not an easy one. In the heat they finished 2nd place to Vanderbilt but had the 3rd fastest time of the entire event. In the semifinal the crew again found themselves in a race for second, this time with Indiana. They battled hard through the middle of the race and pushed themselves securely into second, again finishing with the third best time of all boats in the event. Prior to the grand final Coach Viola told the crew "Go do what you've done in practice every day. You guys are racers. Go race." As the race started the field flew off the line, and the boat found themselves in last place, but never out of contact with the field. By the midway point the boat moved into fifth, still a length down on fourth, and just over a length down on third. In the third 500 they started to walk through 4th place, but with 500 to go they still had a length to go to catch up to Lafayette. Urged on by coxswain Brendan Seay and the trust they had built together, the crew owned the last 500, sprinting another length to move into third place just a few strokes before the line. After taking some time to reflect on the weekend, stroke seat Aidan Arouh shared this: "From a silver medal in the varsity eight to scoring team points in all nine boats, ACRA's this year highlighted the importance of every member, alumnus, and supporter of the program. It's a group effort. A culture of passion has pushed us to a record-breaking finale. What a year."

Another boat full of natural racers, the lightweight four came into the weekend with high expectations but an unknown field of competition. The crew did what they knew how to do and dominated their heat, winning by over 10 seconds. In the final, the crew quickly found themselves in 2nd place behind Fordham, but solidly ahead of third place Vermont. Never giving up, the crew kept fighting to push into Fordham all the way down the course, furthering themselves from third place. Ultimately it was the Ram's race to win, with Bucknell finishing in second place, securing yet another podium finish for the Bison.

It's been a few years since Bucknell raced a pair at ACRAs, and this year's pair only had two weeks to row the lineup. Coming out of the best ACRA fourth varsity eight in the country, Sam Langlois and Charlie Theodore had already been racing together all season, just in the eight. The duo attacked the challenge and showed up on race day ready to test themselves. In their heat, they kept up their winning ways and finished first. Onto the semifinals, the crew fought hard for the third place spot into the grand final, but unfortunately came up short in fourth place. In the B final, the crew raced all the way down the track against race leaders Michigan and Lafayette. At the finish line, they crossed third, good for 9th in the nation.

The ninth and final boat of the squad was the double. Composed of two former walk-on sophomores, Ben Cowan and Franklin Enkhmandakh took on the challenge of learning to scull. On the opening day the crew finished 6th in their heat, putting them straight into the D final. Never having raced the double, the crew knew the next race would be better than the first. In an exciting race, the crew found themselves in second place, and managed to walk back into first in the third 500. In the last 500, the order was flipped again and they crossed the line in second place. Still earning points for the team, the double had something to be proud of for their fight.

These points helped the team to finish third overall in team points – the highest ever finish for Bucknell. New alum and assistant coach Jack Lieblein reflected on his four years and said this about the weekend "If you told me four years ago that the team would medal in five events, win the small boat team points trophy, and place third overall at ACRA, I wouldn't have believed you. The dedication and camaraderie on and off the water was the key to our success this year. I couldn't be more proud to be part of THE TEAM."

All year, the coaches and athletes have known how special this group is, repeatedly setting the standard by breaking just about every erg record in team history. Over the course of the year, the squad developed a nickname for themselves – The Team. Be The Team. After a long school year and racing season, it's fitting that this team has put together the best ever finish for Bucknell. Team co-captain Soren Stein reflected on what made the accomplishment so meaningful: "We'll never forget the sacrifices that were made to get The Team to this moment. It's been a long time coming and I can't wait to carry this momentum into next year."

Team Points
Purdue: 733
Virginia: 602
Bucknell: 573
Orange Coast: 507
Michigan: 493

Small Boat Team Points
Bucknell: 168
Grand Valley: 152
Lafayette: 112

Results Summary
Varsity 8: 2nd
Second Varsity 8: 4th
Third Varsity 8: 2nd
Varsity 4: 12th
Novice 4: 3rd
Lightweight 4: 2nd
Quad: GOLD
Pair: 9th
Double: 20th