LANCASTER, Pa.- The Franklin & Marshall men's rowing team is slated to compete in Saturday's Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference (MARC) Championship from Pennsauken, N.J. Following a strong spring, they look to improve on a tenth-place finish at last year's championship with crews entered into the Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+ races. 

The Spring So Far

F&M has competed in four regattas so far this spring, beginning with the Skidmore Sprints regatta. Against two crews from Skidmore, F&M's Varsity 8+ crew claimed second place. The team also entered a second Varsity 8+ crew that finished second in a dual against hosts Skidmore. 

The Diplomats followed the Skidmore Sprints with the two-day Knecht Cup Regatta, highlighted by a fifth-place finish in the Varsity 8+ Division II/III Final. A Varsity 4+ crew competed for the first time of the spring at the regatta, as the crew earned sixth place in the Division II/III Final. 

The Varsity 8+ crew won at the next event, defeating crews from Villanova and St. Mary's (Md.) in the Upper Schuylkill Challenge. This performance earned the Diplomats MARC Crew of the Week honors A second Varsity 8+ crew claimed second place in their race, while the team's Varsity 4+ crew were third from four competing entries.

Yet again, the Varsity 8+ crew claimed gold at last week's Gifford Pinchot Sprints, besting a crew from Carnegie Mellon for back-to-back victories. The Varsity 4+ crew was sixth overall from ten crews entered into their event. 

F&M's Varsity 8+ crew has remained consistent this spring, featuring, from bow to stern, Jacob Ripperger, Peter Kutscher, Saul Schoenholtz, Max Taxter, Max Goldman, Aemon Cameron, Tai Jespersen, Moemen Ibrahim, and Mithayus Diaz as coxswain. 

The Diplomats' Varsity 8+ has claimed a spot in the IRCA/IRA DIII Varsity 8+ poll for four-consecutive weeks entering the MARC Championship weekend. F&M was ranked 14th in the first week and has since maintained the 15th spot. In the most recent poll, three other MARC schools were represented including Marietta in fifth, the Milwaukee School of Engineering in 12th, and Washington College in 14th. 

F&M's Varsity 4+ crews have featured variations of Gordon Clifford, Harris Zhang, Kunaal Chatterjee, Zaeem Zia, and Ahmed Sherif.

2025 MARC Performance

The Diplomats claimed tenth at last year's MARC Championship, finishing in fourth place in the Petite Final of the Varsity 8+ category while the Varsity 4+ crew were seventh in their final.

MARC Schedule

• Men's Varsity 8+ Heat: 9:30 a.m.
• Men's Varsity 4+ Heat: 10:30 a.m.
• Men's Varsity 4+ Petite Final & Final: 1:00 p.m. & 1:10 p.m.
• Men's Varsity 8+ Petite Final & Final: 2:00 p.m. & 2:10 p.m.