LANCASTER, Pa. - Head coach Bob Brady enters his seventh spring leading the Franklin & Marshall men's rowing team, as the Diplomats prepare for a spring schedule that features seven events beginning with a dual meet at William & Mary during spring break on Thursday, March 19. 

Spring 2025 Recap

F&M competed in six events last spring, culminating in the 2025 Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference Championship where the Diplomats claimed tenth place.  

At the Knecht Cup Regatta, the Diplomats earned a place in the Petite Final with the crew of Eli Wallace, Jake Stokes, Jacob Ripperger, Zaeem Zia, Tai Jespersen, Alan Grove, Max Taxter, Moemen Ibrahim, and Don Ang as coxswain. They logged a 7.17.50 to earn fourth place in the Division II/III heat before claiming sixth place in the petite final with a time of 6:59.96. 

The Diplomats followed that performance with three event victories at the Gifford Pinchot Spring Regatta. The Varsity 8+ crew of Wallace, Stokes, Ripperger, Zia, Max Goldman, Grove, Taxter, Ibrahim, and Ang as coxswain won the the event in 6:44, beating the men's 8 from Binghamton, as well as composite crews between Haverford and F&M, and Carnegie Mellon and Susquehanna. The Diplomat's Varsity 4+ crew of Jespersen, Grove, Goldman, Ibrahim, and Ang as coxswain defeated crews from Binghamton and Haverford to win the race in 7:43. The Novice 4+ crew of Peter Kutscher, Saul Schoenholtz, Ripperger, Taxer, and Mithayus Diaz as coxswain won their race over TCNJ and two Carnegie Mellon crews with a time of 7:56. 

At the MARC Championship, the Diplomats claimed tenth place, totaling 25 points. The Varsity 8+ crew of Ripperger, Stokes, Max Goldman, Zia, Jespersen, Grove, Taxter, Ibrahim, and Ang logged a time of 6:58.96 in the Petite Final to claim fourth place. The Varsity 4+ crew of Wallace, Ahmed Sherif, Schoenholtz, Kutscher, and Diaz as coxswain were seventh in that final with a time of 8:18.024. 

Fall 2025 Recap

The Diplomats competed three times in October, starting with the Head of the Ohio where F&M earned eighth place from 19 competing crews in the Varsity 8+. The time of 13:45.120 was better than crews from Penn State, Case Western Reserve, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, and others. 

In a dual meet against Washington College, the Diplomats claimed both victories in the Varsity 8+ categories, earning wins in the 1,000-meter event and 3,000 meter-event. 

The Diplomats concluded the fall at the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta, claiming third place in the Varsity 8+ among Division III crews in the Club Championship race. That lineup featured, from bow to stern, Jacob Ripperger, Peter Kutscher, Saul Schoenholtz, Max Taxter, Max Goldman, Aemon Cameron, Tai Jespersen, Moemen Ibrahim, and Don Ang as the coxswain in his final event ahead of graduating in December. The crew logged a team of 12:49.727, the third-best among DIII crews while finishing 29th from the 45 overall crews competing.   

Returning All-MARC Rowers

Max Taxer - So. - Second Team
Saul Schoenholtz - So. - Novice Team

The Road Ahead

The Diplomats are slated to compete in seven events this spring, beginning with a meet at William & Mary during the team's spring break trip on Thursday, March 19. The Diplomats then head to Saratoga Springs, N.Y. for the Skidmore Invite on Saturday, April 4 before competing in the two-day Knecht Cup in Camden, N.J. on Saturday, April 11, and Sunday. April 12. The Diplomats will face Villanova in the Upper Schuylkill Challenge on Saturday, April 18 ahead of the Gifford Pinchot Sprints on Saturday, April 25 in Lewisberry. The 2026 Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference Championship is set for Saturday, May 2 in Camden, N.J., while the season will conclude in Camden with the Dad Vail Regatta on Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9. 

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