REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – The No. 13 Stanford men’s rowing team bounced back from some morning losses to sweep the afternoon and earn a split on the first day of the Stanford Invitational.
“The important part of racing is coming together as a group and racing as a team,” said head coach Craig Amerkhanian. “We were fragmented in the morning against a really good Washington team. We switched some things around in the afternoon and got a little older which helped us out.”
Afternoon Session
The Cardinal had races against Santa Clara and UC Davis and took care of business on its home course, winning all three races during the afternoon.
The varsity eight faced Santa Clara and featured a new lineup. Freshman Misha Wilcockson made his debut with the top boat in bow seat and sophomore coxswain Ardsley Sanders got the nod. The wind picked up for the afternoon races, but Stanford was ready for it and powered through for a 13.2-second victory over the Broncos.
The 2V8 and 3V8 followed suit against UC Davis. Led by junior coxswain Nathalie Weiss the 2V8 impressed all in attendance, winning by 47.7 seconds against the Aggies. Stanford clocked a time of 6:25.6 to cross the finish line first.
Sophomore Brendan Larkin made his season debut with the 3V8 and helped them to a victory by nearly a full minute over UC Davis. Stanford finished in 6:44.0, while the Aggies crossed in 7:43.1.
Morning Session
Stanford faced No. 1 Washington to start the day and the racing belonged to the defending national champion Huskies. UW won each race by a lengthy margin, recording some very fast times across all boats.
The varsity eight race was controlled by Washington as they topped the Cardinal with an impressive time of 5:39.0. Stanford clocked a time of 5:59.3. The UW 2V8 won with a time of 5:44.4 seconds compared to the Cardinal’s 6:07.4. Stanford got off to a poor start in the 3V8 race and trailed by several boat lengths at the bridge. Washington would take the race with a time of 5:47.7.
Nick Obletz made his collegiate debut in the 3V8 for Stanford, sitting in the 4 seat. Junior coxswain Greg Wolk made his season debut with the 3V8 as well, while sophomore Sean-Patrick Sullivan joined the varsity eight for the first time this season in the five seat.
Boat Christening
Between sessions Stanford held a christening ceremony as a four boat was named in honor of the late Blaise Stoltenberg ’84. Several teammates of Stoltenberg as well as his widow and children were on hand for the ceremony along with the Stanford team and coaching staff.
“We had a special treat with the dedication of the Blaise Stoltenberg racing shell,” said Amerkhanian. “It was moving, touching and important that our team was involved to see that it isn’t just a four-year commitment when you row at Stanford but a lifetime of friendships and support. It was special.”
Today we dedicated a four to Blaise Stoltenberg '84, who recently passed away. pic.twitter.com/9hFtFDFXwE
— Stanford Mens Rowing (@stanfordmrowing) April 12, 2015
Up Next
The Stanford Invitational will wrap up on Sunday morning with another session of racing. The first race will be at 9 a.m. with Stanford taking on UC San Diego in the varsity eight. The Cardinal 2V8 will race at 9:40 a.m. and the 3V8 at 10:20 a.m.
Stanford Invitational
Redwood Shores Lagoon
Redwood City, Calif.
April 11, 2015
Morning Results
Varsity Eight
1. Washington – 5:39.0
2. Stanford – 5:59.3
Second Varsity Eight
1. Washington – 5:44.4
2. Stanford – 6:07.4
Third Varsity Eight
1. Washington (F8) – 5:47.7
2. Stanford – 6:25.4
Afternoon Results
Varsity Eight
1. Stanford – 6:05.6
2. Santa Clara – 6:18.8
Second Varsity Eight
1. Stanford – 6:25.6
2. UC Davis – 7:13.3
Third Varsity Eight
1. Stanford – 6:44.0
2. UC Davis – 7:43.1
Morning Lineups
Varsity Eight
Coxswain – Nathalie Weiss
Stroke – Ryan Hails
7 – Kaess Smit
6 – Scott Roycroft
5 – Sean-Patrick Sullivan
4 – Ryan O’Rourke
3 – Jovanni Stefani
2 – Allen Reitz
Bow – Max Freundlich
Second Varsity Eight
Coxswain – Ardsley Sanders
Stroke – Nico Cserepy
7 – Misha Wilcockson
6 – Peter Wood
5 – Landon Alecxih
4 – Will Spencer
3 – Erik Holmvik
2 – Andrew Terajewicz
Bow – John Cirenza
Third Varsity Eight
Coxswain – Greg Wolk
Stroke – Kendall Fagan
7 – Max Skolds
6 – Andrew Merrilees-Paiva
5 – Wills McMahon
4 – Nick Obletz
3 – Jim Grace
2 – Matthew Park
Bow – Karl Wessendorf
Afternoon Lineups
Varsity Eight
Coxswain – Ardsley Sanders
Stroke – Ryan Hails
7 – Kaess Smit
6 – Peter Wood
5 – Scott Roycroft
4 – Ryan O’Rourke
3 – Max Freundlich
2 – Allen Reitz
Bow – Misha Wilcockson
Second Varsity Eight
Coxswain – Nathalie Weiss
Stroke – Nico Cserepy
7 – Jovanni Stefani
6 – Andrew Terajewicz
5 – Landon Alecxih
4 – Will Spencer
3 – Erik Holmvik
2 – Max Skolds
Bow – John Cirenza
Third Varsity Eight
Coxswain – Greg Wolk
Stroke – Kendall Fagan
7 – Wills McMahon
6 – Andrew Merrilees-Paiva
5 – Brendan Larkin
4 – Nick Obletz
3 – Jim Grace
2 – Matthew Park
Bow – Karl Wessendorf