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Men's Rowing Places All Four Boats in Top Semifinals at IRA National Championship
5/29/2026 8:08:00 PM | Men's Rowing
Syracuse men's rowing opened the IRA National Championship on a strong note Friday on Lake Natoma at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center, advancing all four boats to the AB semifinals.
The Varsity 8 set the tone with a third-place finish in Heat 4, crossing the line in 5:43.360 to earn a top-three placement behind Princeton (5:39.360) and Stanford (5:40.960) and secure a spot in Saturday's AB semifinal. The Orange will race from lane 5 alongside Washington, Princeton, Dartmouth, Northeastern and Yale with an 8:48 a.m. PT (11:48 a.m. ET) start where the top three teams advance to the grand final on Sunday.
The 2nd Varsity 8 finished second in Heat 4 with a time of 5:47.260 — just over two seconds behind California (5:45.150) and ahead of Yale (5:48.990) to advance. Syracuse will line up in lane 4 against Princeton, Harvard, Dartmouth, Penn and Stanford at 9:12 a.m. PT (12:12 p.m. ET). The top three teams will make Sunday's grand final.
The 3rd Varsity 8 also came in second in its heat, posting a 5:56.000 and finishing 1.62 seconds behind Princeton (5:54.380). Boston University rounded out the top three in that heat. The Orange will race from lane 3 against Harvard, Washington, Penn, Yale and Northeastern at 9:28 a.m. PT (12:28 p.m. ET) with the top three crews securing a spot in the grand final on Sunday.Â
In the Varsity 4, Syracuse navigated a time trial format and placed seventh overall with a time of 6:19.748, qualifying for the afternoon semifinal. The Orange placed third in the semi (6:39.200) behind California (6:30.220) and Princeton (6:34.090), advancing to the B final. Syracuse will line up in lane 1 alongside Northeastern, Boston University, Cornell, Jacksonville and Dartmouth with an 11:04 a.m. PT (2:04 p.m. ET) start on Sunday morning.
Fans unable to make the trip to California can watch live on Overnght.com or follow the live results here.Â
For live updates throughout the IRA National Championship, follow @CuseMRowing on social media.Â
