The Harvard men’s heavyweight rowing team will compete at the IRA National Championship Regatta from May 29-31 on Lake Natoma in Gold River, California. The team recently defended its Eastern Sprints Championship and is coming off consecutive silver medal finishes for the varsity boat in the 2024 and 2025 IRA National Championships.
Since 1995, Harvard has competed for 19 national championships at the IRAs and won three consecutive titles between 2003 and 2005. The program finished second in each of the last two years and third in both 2017 and 2019. In each of the past two years, Harvard’s varsity boat was beaten by Washington, including a defeat by less than a second last year. Four oarsmen return from last year’s varsity boat, including captain and stroke Ben Scott.
At last year’s IRAs, Harvard’s third varsity claimed gold while the second varsity earned a silver medal. Earlier this season at the Sarasota Invitational in March, Harvard’s varsity boat finished second to defending national champion Washington; however, both Harvard’s second and third varsity boats outperformed Washington that day.
Friday race times are scheduled as follows: Varsity (Heat 3) at 11:32 AM, Second Varsity (Heat 3) at 12:20 PM, Third Varsity (Heat 4) at 1:00 PM, Varsity Four (Trial 1) at 2:30 PM, with semifinals time to be determined. All times are listed as Eastern Time and may change. Race times for Saturday and Sunday will be published daily on GoCrimson.com recaps and social media channels.
Boat lineups include coxswain Natalia Toms leading the V8 with Ben Scott as stroke; Iris Hennin coxing the Second Varsity; Cate Frerichs heading up Third Varsity; and Nicholas Yoo coxing V4+. The next event following IRAs is set for June 6 when Harvard faces Yale in their annual regatta on Connecticut’s Thames River.
