PENNSAUKEN, N.J.- Franklin & Marshall men's rowing took second in the Men's Varsity 8+ Petite Final, and ninth overall as a team, marking the team's strongest performance at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference (MARC) Championship since the 2019 regatta.

The Diplomats entered into both the first Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+ categories at the regatta. 

"This was a very strong field – both from DIII programs and club programs – and our guys put together very strong races," said Head Coach Bob Brady. "The team this year worked hard to be able to not only close the gap on our conference, but to also beat out teams we have lost to in past seasons. It was great to see F&M put it out there on the course."

F&M's Varsity 8+ lineup entered the week ranked #15 in the IRCA/IRA Division III Varsity 8+ poll. The crew included, 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 crew was fourth out of six crews in their heat, besting Catholic and St. Mary's (Md.) with a time of 6:26.060 to claim a place in the Petite Final. F&M went on to finish in second place in the race, finishing ahead of crews from Catholic, Villanova, and St. Mary's (Md.). 

The Diplomats' Varsity 4+ lineup featured, from bow to stern, Gordon Clifford, Harris Zhang, Kunaal Chatterjee, Zaeem Zia, and F&M women's rower Manal Fatima as coxswain. The crew claimed fourth in their heat with a time of 8:37.746 to qualify for the Petite Final. They faced Washington College in the Petite Final, finishing in second place with a time of 8:35.595. 

F&M totaled 35 points in the team standings to claim ninth place, marking the program's best finish since a fifth-place showing in 2020-21 and the most points in the regatta since totaling 58 points at the 2019 MARC Championship. 

In addition to racing, members of the men's program earned conference honors. This includes senior and men's captain, Tai Jespersen, being selected to the All-Conference Second Team for the MARC. Kunaal Chatterjee earned All-Freshman/Novice honors, while Jespersen, Moemen Ibrahim, Max Goldman and Harris Zhang earned Academic All-Conference honors. 

The Diplomats will be sending a Men's Varsity 4+ to the Dad Vail Regatta on Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9, which will conclude the team's spring season.