SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Stanford men’s rowing team began its spring season by sweeping all five events at the Davis Invitational in California’s state capitol on Sunday.
“I couldn’t ask for a better, united effort,” said head coach Craig Amerkhanian. “We were looking for guys supporting each other and bringing a selfless attitude to the trip and races. I was really impressed with these guys. Everybody took care of each other so that we can race at the highest level we can.”
The Cardinal claimed victories in the varsity eight, novice eight, varsity four, JV four and novice four races despite overcast and windy conditions and leaving campus by 5 a.m. to make the two-hour trip to Sacramento in time for the 8 a.m. start. Stanford went up against UC Davis and Santa Clara.
“They guys faced very challenging conditions, getting up at 5 a.m. for a same day regatta,” said Amerkhanian. “It was a collective, energized effort by the team in every event. These guys rowed a lot of races in difficult conditions and show their training and team commitment is strong and true.”
Stanford began the day by taking the top two spots in the varsity eight. The A boat won the race in 6:13.30 with freshman Ardsley Sanders guiding the group consisting of Austin Hack, Ryan Hails, Kaess Smit, Ryan O’Rourke, Robbie Ostrow, Andrew Gyenis and Scott Roycroft. The B boat finished second in a time of 6:31.00.
The novice eight stayed undefeated this season with a winning time of 6:45.30. Robert Kimmelman was the coxswain and he was joined by Max Drach, Brendan Larkin, Karl Wessendorf, Peter Wood, Grant Glazer, Kendall Fagan, Taylor O’Brien and Abdulla Janahi.
In the varsity four, Sanders picked up her second race win of the day with Smit, Charlie Walker, Gyenis and Roycroft comprising the lineup. They finished in a time of 7:06.70, six seconds faster than the other Stanford four.
The JV four race also saw the Cardinal claim the top two places. With a time of 7:07.90, Sanders again coxed the top boat. This time she had Ostrow, Sean-Patrick Sullivan, Alec Macrae and Max Freundlich in the both with her. The B boat was eight seconds behind, crossing the finish in 7:15.80.
The final race of the day was the novice four. Winning in 7:18.40, Drach, Wood, Wessendorf, Fagan and coxswain Greg Wolk capped off a terrific day for the Cardinal.
Stanford will have a little over a month to continue training before its next race. The Cardinal will compete in the San Diego Crew Classic April 5-6.
Davis Invitational Results
Port of Sacramento – Sacramento, Calif.
March 2, 2014
Varsity Eight
A Boat – 1st, 6:13.3
Cox: Ardsley Sanders
Austin Hack
Sean-Patrick Sullivan
Ryan Hails
Kaess Smit
Ryan O’Rourke
Robbie Ostrow
Andrew Gyenis
Scott Roycroft
B Boat – 2nd, 6:31.0
Cox: Greg Wolk
Nico Cserepy
Charlie Walker
Andrew Terajewicz
Alec Macrae
Max Freundlich
Cole Johnson
Ben Weems
Will Robins
Novice Eight – 1st, 6:45.3
Cox: Robert Kimmelman
Max Drach
Brendan Larkin
Karl Wessendorf
Peter Wood
Grant Glazer
Kendall Fagan
Taylor O’Brien
Abdulla Janahi
Varsity Four
A Boat – 1st, 7:06.7
Cox: Ardsley Sanders
Kaess Smit
Charlie Walker
Andrew Gyenis
Scott Roycroft
B Boat – 2nd, 7:12.5
Cox: Robert Kimmelman
Austin Hack
Ryan O’Rourke
Ryan Hails
Nico Cserepy
JV Four
A Boat – 1st, 7:07.9
Cox: Ardsley Sanders
Robbie Ostrow
Sean-Patrick Sullivan
Alec Macrae
Max Freundlich
B Boat – 2nd, 7:15.8
Cox: Robert Kimmelman
Andrew Terajewicz
Ben Weems
Cole Johnson
Will Robins
Novice Four – 1st, 7:18.4
Cox: Greg Wolk
Max Drach
Peter Wood
Karl Wessendorf
Kendall Fagan