The fall of 2023 concluded on a high note for the University of Delaware Men’s Crew, marked by a triumphant race day sweep on the Occoquan River. In the lead-up to the regatta, UDMC faced off against some of the country’s fastest crews, achieving consistently favorable results.
The Blue Hens made a short trip up to the Schuylkill River for the Navy Day Regatta to start their fall racing campaign. They entered into four events with a total of eight UD boats competing throughout the day including the Men’s Collegiate 4+, Men’s Collegiate 8+, and the Men’s Collegiate Novice 8+. Notably, UDMC placed 1st in the Novice 4+ event.
Having successfully won bids to race in Boston, the team then traveled to the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta the next weekend. In the Men’s Collegiate Eight event, UDMC finished 26th out of 42 competitors. The Men’s Lightweight Four also raced during the weekend, facing a competitive pack of teams within the event. Notably the blazing fast HOCR course record in the Men’s Alumni 4+ that UDMC Alumni set in 2022 remained standing for another year.
Returning to the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta in late October, UDMC continued to make waves. The day commenced with medals, with the Adaptive Inclusion 2x composed of Will Beardwood and Victor DiPasquale earning 2nd in their event. The Men’s Championship Fours, featuring John Dempsey, Will Ryan, Josh Lamppa, Jake Milburn, and coxswain Maddie Tamburino secured a 3rd place medal. John shared his remarks on the race saying, “We were very happy about our result. Competing against top East Coast teams and finishing in the top 3 of a very competitive event is a great sign of the strength of our program.” The novice walk-ons also had their moment, competing in the fours and the eights. In the Novice Eight event, the team placed 6th out of 15 boats. The final event of the day for the team was the Men’s Club Championship Eights where two UDMC boats competed in the field. The 1V placed 7th out of 44 boats entered into the event, just 26 seconds off of 1st place. The 2V finished 26th, a commendable performance ahead of perennial powerhouse crews, such as Rutgers and George Washington.
For the final head race for the fall 2023 season, the team made its way down to northern Virginia to compete in the Head of the Occoquan. It was a triumphant day for UDMC, as they saw medals in all six of the events they entered. The Men’s Collegiate Varsity 8+ placed 2nd out of 11 boats, just 11 seconds off 1st place. The Men’s Collegiate JV 8+ won their event. In the Men’s Collegiate Novice 4+ event, UDMC took home a gold medal in their field. The Men’s Collegiate Novice 8+ also saw gold in their event. The Men’s Collegiate Varsity 4+ saw UDMC take 1st and 2nd place in this event beating out crews such as Loyola and George Washington. The final event for the team was the Men’s Collegiate JV 4+ in which the team took home another 1st place finish in the field.
Anticipation is running high as the team looks to take this momentum through the winter and into the spring where excitement grows for sprint racing.
