This category is open to all members of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association, regardless of whether they are in division one or three and if the programme’s respective varsity eight has qualified for that event. This leaves us with one of the most intriguing events at the regatta, as before Saturday’s final, the 39 crews will progress through time trials and semi-finals. With no team points available, the best of 17 programmes will face off against development crews from 22 others looking for nothing but glory.
University of Washington
12 months ago, Washington won this event by almost a boat length – the first victory of their historic sweep of the regatta. This marked win number 14 in this event, almost twice as many as any other programme in the history of the Eric W Will Trophy. This year, the fourth varsity group has had limited racing, but claimed victory in the season opener in Sarasota, Florida as well as winning in the coxed four against their major west coast rivals to win the inaugural Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title in the boat class. This weekend, the Huskies hope their development crew will open their weekend with a record-extending 15th victory.
University of California – Berkeley
Their closest rivals, California completed a similar sweep in 2023 and will enter the championships with four crews they see as capable of winning their respective events. Coming out of the MPSF championships, they won only the varsity eight, finishing second in the other three events that will be contested this weekend in New Jersey. However, the expectation of victories is not unfounded as their freshman eight will fully integrate with the varsity squad. That group, including five athletes with age-group world championship experience, will bring great speed to their crews, and the first sign of that improvement will come on Saturday as they sprint down the course in the fours. If they can win, it will be an excellent sign for the Golden Bears.
Dartmouth College
Second place in this event last year, Dartmouth enters the national championship on the back of a very successful year for the top end of their programme. This top-end speed has filtered down through the lineups with the fourth varsity group continuing to succeed, coming out on top in five of their six dual races, before winning bronze at Eastern Sprints. This weekend, this group will be distilled into a coxed four, which plays into the hands of the big green, as Wyatt Allen’s training plan has significantly more small boats work than many of their rivals, especially this deep in the spring. Last year, the four were one of two medals for the big green, and they will be hoping to replicate that success this year.
Harvard University
Eastern Sprints could hardly have gone better for the men at Harvard University, as six of the seven eights won gold across their heavyweight and lightweight programmes. However, this fours crew will comprise members of their fourth varsity eight who were the only crimson eight to lose, coming up 0.6 seconds short against a Yale crew. However, the Bulldogs are missing from the entry list in the four, leaving this Harvard lineup as the top-ranked group from the East Coast, otherwise unbeaten since their season opener. Racing in the four for the first time this year, they will be looking to have a good showing in Saturday’s finals, and an improvement on last year’s ninth-place finish is the minimum expectation.
Northeastern University
With a smaller squad than some of their Ivy League rivals, Northeastern’s fourth varsity group have been racing exclusively in fours since the end of April. Staying competitive with many of their closest rivals in dual racing, they raced in the smaller boat at Eastern Sprints, picking up a comfortable victory against the fifth-ranked crews from Harvard and Holy Cross. Stepping up to face at least fourth-level opposition this weekend, they will be hoping that the more extended period racing the boat class plays into their hand, and will be eyeing an A-final appearance, and certainly an improvement on number 23 from 12 months ago.
Drexel University
The 25th team on the IRA’s invite list for the eights, Drexel University demonstrated great speed across their squad. Unfortunately for them, they have been unable to get the first crew to live up to the speed shown by their lower crews. In trying to find the ideal lineup with 19 rowers and three coxswains lining up in the top Drexel boat this season, with only sophomore Matthew Kennedy racing in all six races, while junior Kyle Brown missed only the Kerr Cup due to injury. This may be the basis of Matt Weaver’s crew this weekend as the dragons seek to match up to the development crews of larger programmes, and a medal would go some way to end the season on a high note.
Fours Only Programmes
While the vast majority of IRA member institutions spend most of their year in eights, a few members spend their entire season in smaller boats, and this event marks the peak of their season. From this group, three are entered this weekend, the most notable of these is Oklahoma City University, this year marking their first season under the leadership of legendary three-time Olympian Brian Volpenhein, who took the reins on the Oklahoma this summer, with limited success so far this season. The others in the group include the heavyweights from Mercyhurst, who got the better of Volpenhein’s top crew at the Dad Vail Regatta, as well as Massachusetts Maritime from the Division III ranks.
Prediction
With the unique dynamic of top crews against development units, there is the potential for an unpredictable outcome, but my choice for this one is to be a battle between California and Washington for gold, similar to the eights. My pick will probably be California to take the win, boosted by their freshman reinforcements over Washington, with Drexel rounding out the podium.
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