MERCER LAKE, NJ – The Iona men's lightweight rowing team concluded their season on the second day of competition at the IRA National Championships on Saturday.

RACE SUMMARY

Racing in the 3rd Level Final against Mercyhurst University the Gaels got off the line quickly and established a lead of less than a second at the 500m mark of the 2000m race. Over the next 1000m Iona would extend its lead three seconds and took a big move in the final 500m to win by a six second margin.

Coaches Comments

"Today was a fabulous day for our program", said coach John Boyd. "Iona hasn't been to the IRA since 1988 so today was truly an historic day. We went all in on establishing ourselves as a lightweight program this year and it's a testament to the guys on the team who have been on board with everything we've asked them to do not only this year but the last several years. We look up to programs like Mercyhurst who have been doing what we're doing for a long time now. The road ahead is a long one but we're ambitious."
 
Taking their final strokes for the Gaels in the stern pair was Francis Acolitse and John Swanson who have dedicated four and three years respectively to the program and helped set a new standard for Iona lightweights in the years to come. Francis will continue his rowing this summer at the New York Athletic Club while John will accept an invitation to row for Vesper Boat Club in Philadelphia.

3rd Level Results

7:02.1 Iona
7:08.5 Mercyhurst

Lineup

Francis Acolitse, John Swanson, Sergey Karpov, Oliver Sanchez, John Tomsen

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