Coming off the program’s first Dad Vail Regatta Men’s Varsity Eight Championship in 27 years, No. 17 Florida Tech will race against the nation’s premier crews at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships Friday through Sunday on Mercer Lake. (FIT Image)
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Coming off the program’s first Dad Vail Regatta Men’s Varsity Eight Championship in 27 years, No. 17 Florida Tech will race against the nation’s premier crews at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships Friday through Sunday on Mercer Lake.
Jim Granger
“We’re really excited for this weekend,” head coach Jim Granger said.
“We feel like we have a lot of confidence coming off Dad Vails. We have an opportunity to record an achievement that would further elevate our program. This is our second appearance at the IRAs in the last two years and we’ve finished 18th and 15th.”
“Our goal has been to get better and place in the top 10 in the varsity eight. That remains our goal for the upcoming weekend,” said Granger.
Since the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta ended on May 9, the Panthers have been training for the IRA regatta in Lorton, Virginia.
Over the last few weeks, Granger and assistant coach Ed Golding have seen improvement in the varsity eight and second varsity eight.
That same varsity eight crew rowed through race leader Michigan in an epic finish to capture the Dad Vail title.
“The last two and a half weeks have been awesome,” Granger said.
“The top boat has found a higher level of speed and has consistently achieved it in practice. They’re excited to see that transition over to this weekend. The second varsity eight is getting better. They certainly have the individuals to be better and need to row better as a group more consistently. If they maintain focus and their edge this weekend, I think they will have a better experience than they had at Dad Vails.”
Both crews know they will need to limit their mistakes against a stacked field to have a successful weekend.
The first eight, seeded 17th heading into the regatta, has an extremely competitive heat right off the bat Friday at 8 a.m.
It will race against three top-10 seeds in defending champion No. 1 Washington, No. 8 Boston, and No. 9 Navy. No. 16 Oregon State and No. 24 Santa Clara round out the six-team heat.
Drawing the 20th seed, the second varsity eight will line up at 9:45 a.m. alongside No. 4 Boston, No. 5 Northeastern, No. 12 Dartmouth, No. 13 Navy and No. 21 Holy Cross.
If the varsity eight finishes among the top two crews in its heat, it will race again in Saturday’s semifinals that begin at 10 a.m.
If it places outside the top three in its heat, it will compete in the varsity eight repechages that start at 2 p.m. on Friday.
If the second varsity eight nabs one of the top two spots in its heat, it will race in Saturday’s semifinals that kick off at 9:36 a.m.
If it finishes in third place or lower in its heat, it will race in the second varsity eight repechages that open at 2:48 p.m. on Friday.
Tickets for adults ages 19 and over are $10 per person or a three-day pass is $25 per person.
Ages 18 and under are free. Parking is $10 per car per day or $25 for a three-day pass. The three-day passes are only available for pre-purchase and will not be available at the regatta. To purchase individual day tickets and the passes, click here.
All three days of the regatta will be video streamed online.
A link to video feed and a link to the live results can be found at FloridaTechSports.com.
