ACRA 2025
What a successful season it was for the Aggies. With multiple wins across various regattas, to the V4+ winning NERC, it all came to a close in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the sight of the American Collegiate Rowing Association Championships. With the Aggies racing 6 different boats, there was thorough representation, which led to the Small Boat Points trophy being awarded to the Aggies. Facing off against all national ACRA teams, the team was successful in winning the National Championship in Small Boats.
Starting with the Novice:
LN4+: 2nd Overall
The lightweight novice 4+, comprised of Datya Kurzban(coxswain), Anders Borger(stroke), Ryan O’Meara(3), Ryan Tessitore(2), and Kayan Volpe(bow), had a strong showing all season and continued this momentum as they rolled into a silver medal at ACRA.
On their first day, which involved heats, they ran a time of 6:43.801, coming second to Purdue, who ran a time 4 seconds faster. Continuing onto their Grand Final, they again ran a time 4 seconds behind Purdue, landing them with a silver medal.
N4+: 9th overall
The heavyweight novice 4+, comprised of Chad Zannotti(coxswain), Graham Schwedt(stroke), Adam Post-Montjoie(3), Ryan Greenwood(2), and Quinn Keating(bow), continued to excel and build upon what they had at every step of the season, leading them to a 9th-place finish at ACRA.
The boat ran heats on their first day, where they placed 8th, landing them in an ABC semifinal. In this semifinal, heartbreak came for the Aggies as they missed out on the A final by .03 seconds. When Sunday came around, racing in the B final, they again missed out on 2nd place(8th overall) by .03 seconds. However, they ran a time that would have landed them 4th overall, beating out the bottom 3 boats in the grand final.
Moving to the Varsity Boats:
2x: 13th overall
The double comprised of Danny Smith(stroke) and Luke Shamaly(bow) battled through sickness to ensure a strong finish to their season.
The double, which participated in heats on the first day of racing, placed 16th overall, landing them in the ABC semifinals, where they unfortunately got sick and landed themselves in the C final. In the C final, however, they took first, good for 13th overall, with a time that would have placed them 9th when compared to all other finals.
2-: 8th overall
The pair, featuring Matthew Lavoie(stroke) and Gage Lane(bow), took charge and finished strong, helping the Aggies gain valuable points.
The duo took first in their heat on their first day of racing, landing them in an AB semifinal. They ended up in the B final after placing 10th overall and proceeded to have a strong finish on the last day of racing to earn 2nd in the B final and 8th overall.
4x: 7th overall
The quad with Brandon Burns(stroke), Zachary Kirchner(3), West Williams(2), and Deylin Uysal(bow) raced competitively, and ultimately placed 7th overall after unfortunate seeding.
On the first day of racing, in their heat, the boat placed 4th, 2 seconds behind the 3rd-place boat, landing them in the B final. They won the B final by 17 seconds, and in unfortunate seeding, all of the boats they raced in their heat ended up medaling in the grand final.
4+: 2nd overall
In a battle for first all weekend, the boat made up of Jonathon Shi(coxswain), James Burnham(stroke), Samuel Sturdy(3), Max Johnson(2), and Luka Lasic(bow) raced fiercely and competitively in every aspect.
Like other Aggie boats, the 4+ had heats on the first day of racing, where they placed 1st overall, launching them into the ABC semifinals. Come these semifinals, the boat placed first, propelling them to the Grand Finals. In the Grand Finals, it was a 2-boat race as their opponent all weekend, Texas, ran alongside the 4+. The boat ended up with a silver medal, coming second to Texas by only 1.5 seconds.
With strong finishes from all boat classes, the Aggies captured the Small Boats Points Trophy, beating out all other ACRA schools en route to their first trophy of this class.
Results: https://legacy.herenow.com/results/#/races/21330/results
The Aggies thank everyone who has helped and supported the team throughout the season. Without your support, the Aggies would not be where they are today. With a new title as ACRA National Champions in Small Boats, the Aggies look to continue momentum into larger boats next year, where the success of this season is sure to continue.
We would also like to thank the seniors, the ones who made this dream a reality. With the few that remained a few years ago, to now national champions, you all built the program back up over your years. We wish you all the best and will continue the foundation you have instilled in this team.
Thank you all, and Go Aggies!
