Spring 2026 Season Recap: Shirts, Medals, and Momentum

The 2026 spring season for the University of Delaware Men’s Crew was a campaign to remember. The team worked relentlessly in pursuit of medals and shirts, and they did not walk home empty-handed. This spring featured a deep fleet for UDMC with 5 eights entered in several races and also the program’s largest entry size for ACRA: 3 varsity eights, 1 novice eight, 1 varsity four, and a varsity double.

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Winter Training

The season kicked off in January when the team returned to campus for winter training. Head Coach Tristan Snow unveiled the team’s high performance plan, and the squad got right to work, practicing 11 times a week. This season, the team started a new tradition, “Dude of the Week”, in which an athlete is nominated based on demonstrating consistency in their effort, a competitive drive both on and off the water, and bringing energy and commitment to every practice. Once the spring semester started back up in February, the team continued training on land due to lingering extreme cold. But this extra month on the erg resulted in a stronger base and more opportunities to test speed on erg testing days.

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Washington College Invite

Once the Christina River thawed, and the brand new dock was installed, the team got back out on the water to prepare for the Washington College Invite on March 21st. This was UDMC’s first opportunity to test its speed against crews including George Washington, Catholic University, and Villanova. UDMC sent down thirty-two oarsmen for the race. The morning session featured the UD First Varsity race George Washington where GW prevailed by 3 seconds. Delaware’s Second Varsity and the Fourth Varsity crews were next up in their race against the George Washington Second Varsity, the Delaware Second Varsity finished 1st over George Washington, with the Fourth Varsity finishing in 3rd. The Delaware Third Varsity raced Catholic University’s Second Varsity, with a 1st place finish over Catholic by 45 seconds!

The afternoon sessions had the Delaware First Varsity race against Villanova’s First Varsity and Catholic University’s First Varsity. UDMC finished 1st over Villanova and Catholic. The Delaware Second Varsity had a second bout with George Washington, once again finishing first. The Delaware Third Varsity raced the Delaware Fourth Varsity and Catholic University’s Second Varsity, with the Delaware Third Varsity finishing first once more.

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Rutgers Dual

The second race on the schedule for UDMC was a dual against Rutgers University on the Raritan River in New Brunswick, NJ, on April 4th. Five UDMC eights made the trip up to race the ACRA opponent. Racing kicked off with the Third Varsity beating Rutgers by a margin of 15 seconds. Then the Fourth Varsity came storming down the course, finishing first with a margin of 8 seconds. The third race was the one to watch with both First Varsity’s going head to head. UDMC came out on top with a margin of 2 seconds. The Second Varsity followed with an open water margin of 9 seconds. The Fifth Varsity was the last boat to go down, and they fell just short of completing the sweep over Rutgers. This race was a strong checkpoint of the speed that UDMC had been building since January.

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George Washington Invitational

The third race was the George Washington Invitational. Some have started labeling this regatta the “ACRA Preview” with several top crews from the ACRA circuit competing including: George Washington University, University of Virginia, University of Michigan, Washington State University, University of Minnesota, University of North Carolina, Rutgers University, and Bucknell University. Delaware’s First Varsity, Second Varsity, and Third Varsity all raced Bucknell and UNC in the first session and then Michigan and Rutgers in the second session. The Fourth Varsity raced Bucknell and Michigan twice, and the Fifth Varsity raced Virginia’s Second Novice twice.

In the first session, the Delaware First Varsity raced hard against Bucknell and UNC, falling less than a second short of Bucknell but 9 seconds ahead of UNC. The UDMC Second Varsity had a hard-fought race but finished second behind Bucknell by 5 seconds, and 16 seconds ahead of UNC. The UDMC Third Varsity had a dual against Bucknell in which Bucknell came out on top by 5 seconds. The UDMC Fourth Varsity had a strong showing in the first session with a first-place finish over both Bucknell and Michigan. The UDMC Fifth Varsity fell short to Virginia.

The second session was kicked off by the Delaware First Varsity securing a win over both Michigan and Rutgers by a margin of 5 seconds. The Delaware Second Varsity had a fast race, finishing with a time of 5:56.35, but finished second behind Michigan by 4 seconds, and ahead of Rutgers by 12 seconds. The Delaware Third Varsity had a super close race with Michigan, finishing 2nd to them by 1.7 seconds but ahead of Rutgers by 16 seconds. The Delaware Fourth Varsity finished 3rd in their second round against Bucknell and Michigan. The Delaware Fifth Varsity fell again to Virginia.

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Loyola Dual

The Blue Hens’ next challenge came in Baltimore, with a dual against Loyola University of Maryland. The weather took the spotlight on race day, with raging winds creating a headwind and white-capping water through the back half of the race. The Delaware First Varsity and Second Varsity went up against Loyola’s First Varsity, with Loyola finishing in first, then the First Varsity, and finally the Second Varsity. The Delaware Third Varsity and First Novice raced Loyola’s Second Varsity. The Third Varsity came out on top with a margin of 20 seconds, with the First Novice finished in 3rd. UDMC’s First Varsity Four and the Second Varsity Four raced Loyola’s First Varsity Four. The Delaware First Varsity Four finished in first over Loyola, and the Second Varsity Four finished in 3rd.

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Washington College – Georgetown Lights – Mercyhurst

The last weekend of April included another trip down to Maryland to Washington College’s home course in Chestertown, MD. Once again, the weather stole the show, with an intense crosswind that foreshadowed the last few races of the morning. The Delaware First Varsity defeated Washington College, finishing ahead by 12 seconds. The Delaware Second Varsity then raced the Mercyhurst Heavyweight First Varsity, coming in first over Mercyhurst by a margin of 8 seconds. The last race was the Delaware Third Varsity and the Delaware First Novice racing Georgetown’s Third Varsity. Conditions worsened and the strong crosswind resulted in the Delaware First Novice taking on a dangerous amount of water to the point where, by the 1000-meter mark, their boat was swamped, and they had to discontinue the race. The Delaware Third Varsity and Georgetown ended up finishing out the race with Georgetown finishing in first by a margin of 19 seconds. The last race of the morning was supposed to be the Delaware First and Second Varsity Four against Washington College’s Four, but due to conditions, all racing was cancelled.

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MARC

This was UDMC’s first year in the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference, and the team did not walk away empty-handed at the Championship on May 2nd on the Cooper River in New Jersey. UDMC entered 6 boats into the regatta: First Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight, Third Varsity Eight, First Novice Eight, First Varsity Four, and Double.

Racing kicked off with the Delaware First Varsity in the heats, in which they needed to put down a fast enough time to advance to the grand final. That was no problem for them as they put down a 6:02.494 to advance to the grand final. The Delaware Second Varsity also had a heat prior to the grand final, but the results of the heat were solely for lanes in the grand final, and there was no petite final. The Delaware Second Varsity finished in 2nd behind Marietta, putting up a time of 6:16.534, which was the second fastest overall time between both heats. The Delaware Third Varsity was the next to go down the course for their grand final. UDMC finished in first place over Bucknell by 4 seconds, securing the victory in the 3rd Varsity 8+ event. The Delaware First Novice also finished in first place in their grand final, defeating St. Mary’s by 33 seconds, and secured the victory in the Novice 8+ event. The Delaware First Varsity Four also competed in a heat to advance either to a grand final or a petite final. They finished with a fast enough time in their heat to advance to the grand final. In the grand final, the First Varsity Four finished in 6th. The Delaware Double only had a grand final, and they finished 5th overall.

In the grand final for the Delaware Second Varsity, the field included Marietta, Bucknell, George Washington, Lehigh, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and Catholic. Marietta, Bucknell, and UDMC got off the blocks quickly, establishing themselves as the top 3 boats in the race. Marietta ended up getting about a length open on UDMC through the 1k mark, but Bucknell was still only about 6 seats up on UDMC. Closing in on the last 500 meters, Marietta solidified themselves as the 1st place finisher, but UDMC started their sprint early and was able to close in on Bucknell by 4 seats. The sprint was not enough, and UDMC finished 3rd overall with a time of 6:13.104. For the Delaware First Varsity’s grand final, the field also included the same teams as the Second Varsity except for Catholic. UDMC, Bucknell, and Marietta were bow ball to bow ball through the first 1k. As the race continued on, Bucknell and Marietta started to inch away, and by the finish line, it went: Bucknell in 1st, Marietta in 2nd, and then UDMC in 3rd. Collectively, this was a strong showing for the team at MARC. Being able to field 6 boats for a championship race is a major accomplishment, and on top of that, being able to walk home with medals from 4 out of the 6 boats is a testament to the speed that has accumulated throughout the spring.

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ACRA

The team had a hard last full week of practice in which Head Coach Tristan Snow dubbed it “super-comp week”. This week ultimately prepared the team even more before the taper on the week of ACRA. Then finally, the team traveled down to Oak Ridge, Tennessee for the American Collegiate Rowing Association National Championship. Once again, the team fielded a First Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight, Third Varsity Eight, First Novice Eight, First Varsity Four, and Double. This was UDMC’s largest entry size for ACRA ever.

Racing for the team kicked off on Friday morning when the Delaware Double raced in their heat. Their time ultimately placed them in the E Final, which would be held later that afternoon. For the E Final, the Double raced hard and ended up winning the final by 12 seconds. The Delaware Novice Eight was the next boat to go down the course. The Novice Eight category has the history and notoriety to bring out the toughest of competitors, and this proved to be true. In the heat, the freshmen raced valiantly but fell short of qualifying in the A/B Semifinals by only 2.5 seconds and instead went on to the C final that was held on Saturday evening. The Varsity Four race was the third UDMC boat to race down the course. As the most-entered event at ACRA with 33 boats, this field is stacked and for many teams, it’s their top four athletes on the water. In the heat, the Varsity Four placed 6th, which landed them in the D/E/F Semifinals, which was also held on Saturday. The Third Varsity was the first Varsity Eight boat for UDMC to go down the course for their heat. Given the smaller entry size in the Third Varsity Eight event, placing in the top 3 of their heat meant that they would then progress to the grand final and did not have to circumvent a semifinal prior to it. The boys raced very hard in their heat which earned them a 2nd place finish, placing above Virginia, Washington State, and UNC but falling behind Michigan. The Grand Final would be held on Saturday evening. The Delaware Second Varsity then competed against Purdue, Notre Dame, George Washington, UNC, Georgia Tech, and West Point in their heat and earned a spot in the A/B Semifinals the next morning. The last Varsity Eight to race for UDMC was the First Varsity. The First Varsity Eight has grown substantially in the last couple of years, with 29 entries for 2026. Their heat had some stiff competition, including: Orange Coast, Middlebury, Michigan State, Florida, and UMass. They ended up placing third behind Orange Coast and Middlebury, but they still advanced to the A/B/C Semifinals, given their fast time.

On Saturday, the Varsity Four raced bright and early at 7:36 A.M. for their D/E/F Semifinal. They put up a competitive time that landed them 2nd in the semifinal, 3 seconds behind Michigan, and earned them a spot in the D Final on Sunday. The Delaware Second Varsity was the next race of the day, and their A/B Semifinal consisted of: Purdue, Bucknell, UCLA, Washington State, and UC Davis. For the Second Varsity Eight event, the boats that finished in the top 3 would then progress on to the Grand Final, and the rest would place into the Petite Final. Given the Second Varsity’s track record with the Grand Final, two Grand Final appearances in the last two years, it was only fitting that they would continue the tradition. In the race, UDMC got off the blocks quickly, and it was soon a dogfight for the last spot between them and UCLA. A strong move at the 1k mark by UDMC positioned themselves about one length up on UCLA and in the 3rd place spot, but only sitting 6 seats down from Bucknell. In the end, UDMC staved off moves from UCLA and Washington State to make their 3rd straight appearance in the Grand Final. The First Varsity was the last boat to race in the Semifinal, but their race was pushed back a couple of hours due to Bucknell’s First Varsity having “exploded” a bow rigger during their warmup. Once that was figured out, the teams returned to the start line to race in the A/B/C Semifinal. For the Delaware First Varsity Eight event, the top two finishers would proceed on to the Grand Final, the next two finishers would proceed to the Petite Final, and the last two finishers would go on to race in the C Final. This was going to be a tough fight for UDMC as they had Bucknell, UCLA, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, and UNC in their Semifinal. It was a tight race through the 1k mark, with all boats having connections with one another. By the finish line, though, Bucknell got their bowball out in 1st place and UCLA and Notre Dame had a photo finish for 2nd, while UDMC was a couple of seconds back in fourth place. This finish placed them in the Petite Final on Sunday. 

The first UDMC Grand Final of ACRA was the Third Varsity, their second consecutive Grand Final appearance, and this year, they were looking to come home with hardware. The field included Bucknell, Virginia, Purdue, Rutgers, and Michigan. The boat put it all on the line and earned themselves a bronze medal, finishing 7 seconds back of 1st place Michigan and 4 seconds back of 2nd place Bucknell, but ahead of Virginia, Purdue, and Rutgers. The last race of Saturday was the Novice Eight C Final. While it was not the Final the boat wanted to be in, they put down their best race regardless and won the C Final by open water.

Sunday racing was kicked off by the Delaware Varsity Four in their D Final. It was a tightly contested race between them, Notre Dame, Villanova, and Michigan. Notre Dame was able to break away in the last 500 meters of the race to secure 1st place, with Villanova coming close in 2nd and UDMC following behind for 3rd place. This placement put the Varsity Four in 21st place out of the 33 boats entered in the event. The 2nd to last race of the day for UDMC was the Second Varsity Eight Grand Final. The field for this event consisted of Purdue, Virginia, Notre Dame, Bucknell, and Orange Coast. It was a very competitive race up to the 1k mark, with all boats being connected still within a boat length of each other. The back half of the race started to solidify the top finishers, with Purdue finishing in 1st, Virginia in 2nd, and Notre Dame in 3rd. The Second Varsity put it all out there but fell short, finishing in 6th place. The last race of ACRA for UDMC was the Varsity Eight Petite Final. Once again, it was a packed field with Notre Dame, Middlebury, Washington State, UC Davis, and Rutgers. Notre Dame broke out in the early stages of the race to solidify themselves as the pack leader, with all the other boats being within a bow ball of each other. In the last 500 meters, Middlebury broke away to become the 2nd place finisher, and the rest of the boats all finished within less than a second of each other. The official finish of the race went: Notre Dame (6:09.347), Middlebury (6:13.905), Washington State (6:15.186), UC Davis (6:15.510), Delaware (6:15.543), and Rutgers (6:15.719).

This ACRA marked a pivotal shift for UDMC. It highlighted the growing depth of the program with the largest entry size ever to the regatta, and it also showed that they can compete with the top dogs of the ACRA circuit. Here are the official placements for the team collectively and each boat individually:

Men’s Overall Team Points – 8th Overall

First Varsity Eight – 11th Overall

Second Varsity Eight – 6th Overall

Third Varsity Eight – 3rd Overall

First Novice Eight – 13th Overall

First Varsity Four – 21st Overall

Double – 25th Overall

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Looking Ahead

This spring season was a major step in the right direction for the team. Winning shirts and medals is no easy task, and the team stepped up to the plate each weekend of racing with the mentality that they are the best team out there to do it. The growth of the program has also skyrocketed to a place where the team is taking out 5 eights consistently. While the team bids farewell to 8 seniors: Addison Garrett, Brett Weber, Gabe Collins, Josh Lamppa, Sam Weisbecker, Joey Farley, Dom DiGioia, and Dom DiUbaldo, the strong recruiting efforts by outgoing recruiting chair Gabe Collins will see 8 incoming high school oarsmen ready to make an immediate impact.