Stetson men’s rowing finished fifth in the Grand Final of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association national championships on Sunday at Lake Natoma in Sacramento, Calif.

Competing for the first time at the IRA Championships, the Varsity 4+ boat of Walter Klein (coxswain), Nick Hall, JT Lamon, Xavier Mulligan and  Zachary Ewing came across the finish line in a time of 6:29.45, finishing behind Washington, Cal, Princeton and MIT, and finishing well ahead of Georgetown (6:36.00).

“The guys raced with enormous courage today and gave it their all,” Stetson assistant coach Ethan Shoemaker said. “They fought hard with Princeton and MIT but ultimately fell to fifth behind MIT by 0.4 seconds. This is one heckuva result for Stetson in our first year.”

Stetson head coach Katie Thurstin was also pleased. Stetson reached the Grand Final for the first time in program history in their inaugural trip to the IRA Championships, May 31-June 2.

“The men exceeded our expectations this weekend, and we couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishment,” she said.

–GoHatters.com