NEW LONDON, Conn.  -  #5 Coast Guard men's rowing took to the Thames yesterday for a slew of races against #4 Wesleyan University (Conn.), with the teams competing on a "upriver" course that runs parallel to the last mile of the Harvard-Yale Regatta.

The first race of the day was the 3V at 9:15, followed by the 1V at 9:45, the 2V at 10:15, and ending with the 4V at 10:45. Coast Guard raced against last season's winners of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Division III Championships.

The 1V came off the line clean and rowing well, staying stroke-for-stroke with the Cardinals for the first 700 meters until Wesleyan was able to take the lead and a ten-second victory. Senior Nate Pokress (Arlington, Mass.) noted it as "a well-executed and hard race. Good, clean strokes and great effort from everyone, especially James (Chase) and Ben (Dush), pushed the rate." James Chase (Greenbrae, Calif.) called it "a good final race on the Thames for the seniors."

The 2V continued to show signs of their potential and capabilities, staying with Wesleyan for the opening two minutes before dropping back to a 15-second loss; the result was an improvement on last season's 37-second defeat. "As this young crew matures and gels, I see them continuing to increase in speed," said head coach Bill Randall. "It was exciting to watch them aggressively try to match a very good Wesleyan 2V."

The 3V and 4V battled two-recruited crews, with the race acting as the first of the season for several rowers in both boats. Freshman Sebastian Aftanas (Mount Vernon, N.H.) acted as coxswain of the 4V while recovering from injury; Nick Foreman (Pleasant Ridge, Mich.) and Owen Wetter (Southampton, N.Y.) both continued their development as new additions to the team with their rowing on the 4V; and Ty Lauritzen (Issaquah, Wash.) moved into the 3V. "While they were out-rowed, they put in a gutsy performance and showed they will continue to improve every week," said Randall.
 

1V Lineup	2V Lineup	3V Lineup	4V Lineup
Cox: Kimber Moring	Cox: Brent Fournier	Cox: Riley Ritter	Cox: Sebastian Aftanas
8: James Chase	8: Lucas Guerra	8: Moses Wiens	8: Collin Griffee
7: Benjamin Dush	7: Maddox Holmes-Selby	7: Jackson Curry	7: Jack Schmidt
6: Jonah McFarland	6: Michael Lee	6: Eliot Maravich	6: Matthew Turner
5: Benjamin Coutu	5: Damian Olechowski	5: Ty Lauritzen	5: Nathan Williams
4: Nate Pokress	4: AJ Buzzelli	4: Phillip Jones	4: Jackson Mamock
3: Harrison Williams	3: Seth Pettis	3: Parker Anselmi	3: Owen Wetter
2: Nicholas Salvati	2: Eli Chapman	2: Maxwell Penella	2: Charles Sokolove
1: Sean Francis	1: Zac Gamble	1: James Hebebrand	1: Nick Foreman

Full results via row2k.com

Who's Next?
Coast Guard rowing will continue to face the top programs in the nation with a double-race on April 5th at #2 Tufts University with #3 Trinity College (Conn.). The first race is scheduled for 9:30, with Pokress and the team's outlook being "excited to get some more racing in over the next few weeks."