FIVE-PEAT! Varsity 8 Rowing Wins Fifth Straight SIRA Championship
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — For the fifth year in a row, and the ninth time in the last 11, Florida Tech has claimed the Varsity Eight Championship at the SIRA Regatta.
Melton Hill Lake is turning out to be a second home to the men’s rowing team with its success on the course the last few years. On Saturday afternoon the venue was witness to another pair of impressive performances by the Panthers’ V8.
Florida Tech ended in the top spot in the semifinals Saturday morning with a time of 6:09.351. Then in the A Final, the Crimson & Gray blitzed the course to a first-place finish in a time of 5:55.170. The five-peat champions crossed the tape almost five seconds ahead of second place Purdue (6:00.022). Notre Dame (6:01.861) and Stetson (6:04.035) rounded out the top-4.
The 2V also had a strong day on the water Saturday, and the Panthers started it off with the top result in its semifinal at 6:24.052. Later in the day, Florida Tech raced to a third-place finish in the A Final, concluding with its fastest time of the weekend (6:20.650). Notre Dame (6:14.844) and Delaware (6:15.028) grabbed the top two positions on the podium.
Florida Tech also impressed in the V4+ division taking second in the morning semifinal with a time of 7:19.308. The Panthers took sixth in the A Final with a time of 7:23.400.
Next up for Florida Tech is the IRA National Championship May 31-June 2 at Lake Natoma in Gold River, California.
Men’s Varsity 8+
Coxswain / Jaiden Oropallo
Stroke / Nikola Selakovic
7 / Dziugas Nienius
6 / Julius Lesauskas
5 / Matas Lukoseuicius
4 / Zilvinas Visockas
3 / Jackson Moore
2 / Jaime Rus Alba
Bow / Marcus Farley
Men’s 2nd Varsity 8+
Coxswain / Victoria Johnson
Stroke / Christian Dossett
7 / Gabriel Chamberlin
6 / Jacob Huffman
5 / Nicholas Baney
4 / Billy Dietrich
3 / Will Stanhope
2 / Bryce Fuson
Bow / Gennaro Zappariello
Men’s Varsity 4+
Stroke / Ljubo Gavric
3 / Clay Womack
2 / Grayson Shore
Bow / Ben Komita
Coxswain / Ripley Smith
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech men’s rowing team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
