STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford men's rowing completed one of the most successful seasons in recent memory in 2026.
The Cardinal improved in every category at the IRA National Championship on Gold River’s Lake Natoma. Stanford was sixth in the varsity eight (ninth last year), seventh in the second varsity eight (eighth), 11th in the third varsity eight, and fifth in the Ten Eyck standings (12th).
AT IRA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Racing in the A Final for the first time since 2021, Stanford placed sixth in the varsity eight while covering the 2,000-meter course in 5:49.608. The performance secured the Cardinal its 11th top-six finish in program history and just second since 2010.
Stanford’s success wasn’t limited to its varsity eight. The Cardinal’s second varsity eight won the B Final in 5:51.247 to come in seventh overall, an effort only bested by a pair of sixth-place results in 2012 and 2003.
Stanford’s third varsity eight started came in fifth in the B Final in 5:57.765. Before this season, the Cardinal had not raced a third eight at the IRA Championship in seven years.
TEN EYCK & CLAYTON CHAPMAN
In the Ten Eyck Trophy points standings, Stanford was fifth with 209 points, tying a program record for best finish with another fifth-place result in 2009.
The Cardinal was awarded the Clayton Chapman Trophy at the conclusion of racing, which is given to the school that accumulates the greatest year-over-year increase in its Ten Eyck total point count. Stanford’s point total in 2025 was 148, a 61-point improvement. Stanford won the Chapman Trophy once previously, in 2016.
FOUR ALL-AMERICANS
Four Stanford rowers earned All-America honors from the Intercollegiate Rowing Coaches Association. Elliott Donovan-Davies and Gabriel George earned IRCA first-team honors and Sandro Scalfi and Gabrielle Zammit were named to the second team.
Stanford’s four All-Americans are its most since 2021, the first year the IRCA began acknowledging athletes with All-America honors. The quartet were the 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th IRCA All-Americans in program history. The organization began awarding All-America honors in 2021 and its initial class included Cardinal Peter Chatain (first team), Trey Holterman (first team), Flynn Traeger (second team) and James Wright (second team).
IRCA SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Senior Caspar Griffin headlined a group of 16 Cardinal to receive IRCA Scholar-Athlete recognition when he was named IRCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year in late June.
The award is given to the athlete with the strongest combination of academic and athletic accomplishments as determined through a combination of GPA, major field of study, academic achievements and athletic performance.
A three-year member of Stanford’s varsity eight, Griffin rowed in the bow at the IRA National Championship. He was a team captain in 2025 and graduated from Stanford with his bachelor’s in history with honors and a 4.07 GPA. Griffin received Block S Honors at the year-end Stanford Athletics Board Awards given to the senior men’s letterwinner with the highest GPA. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Griffin’s honors thesis was title ‘How we grow: Developmental Psychology and the Creation of a Longitudinal Public, 1921–1940.’
MPSF HONORS
Finn Lorgen was named as the Mountain Pacific Sport Federation Men’s Rowing Freshman of the Year. It was Stanford’s second consecutive MPSF Freshman of the Year award. Elliott Donovan-Davies took home last season’s honor. Stanford also had two All-MPSF selections in Donovan-Davies and Tom Corbett.
The Stanford varsity eight placed third in its second Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Men’s Rowing Championship. The placing extended a streak of third-place finishes in a conference 1V8+ Grand Final to 12 consecutive seasons. Stanford also placed third in the second and third varsity eight Grand Finals.
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
| Name | Honors |
|---|---|
| Kannan Alford | IRCA Scholar-Athlete All-MPSF Academic Team |
| Callen Berwick | All-MPSF Academic Team |
| Tom Corbett | All-MPSF IRCA Scholar-Athlete All-MPSF Academic Team |
| Elliott Donovan-Davies | IRCA All-America First Team All-MPSF IRCA Scholar-Athlete All-MPSF Academic Team |
| Maxim Ericson | All-MPSF Academic Team |
| Gabriel George | IRCA All-America First Team IRCA Scholar-Athlete All-MPSF Academic Team |
| Caspar Griffin | IRCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year IRCA Scholar-Athlete All-MPSF Academic Team |
| Jack Griffin | IRCA Scholar-Athlete |
| Leopold Hainlein | IRCA Scholar-Athlete All-MPSF Academic Team |
| Hylton Harvey | IRCA Scholar-Athlete All-MPSF Academic Team |
| Andrew Orio | IRCA Scholar-Athlete All-MPSF Academic Team |
| Finn Lorgen | MPSF Freshman of the Year |
| James Pullinger | IRCA Scholar-Athlete All-MPSF Academic Team |
| Jacob Rivera | IRCA Scholar-Athlete All-MPSF Academic Team |
| John Salvi | All-MPSF Academic Team |
| Sandro Scalfi | IRCA All-America Second Team |IRCA Scholar-Athlete All-MPSF Academic Team |
| Luke Smith | IRCA Scholar-Athlete All-MPSF Academic Team |
| Charlie Vachris | IRCA Scholar-Athlete All-MPSF Academic Team |
| Philip Wolfensberger | IRCA Scholar-Athlete |
| Gabrielle Zammit | IRCA All-America Second Team IRCA Scholar-Athlete All-MPSF Academic Team |