Bates College

The first varsity eight won its grand final at the National Invitational Rowing Championships for the first time ever and the Bates men's rowing team celebrated a perfect and historic day Friday on Lake Quinsigamond.

With the first varsity eight racing to the finish in 5:41.384, the Bobcats edged Marist (5:42.320) and perennial foe Hobart (5:43.680) in the grand final to qualify for the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship Regatta, to be held at Mercer Lake in Princeton, N.J., June 1-3. By defeating NESCAC rivals Williams, Tufts and Wesleyan, Bates won the NESCAC Championship for the second straight year and for the third time since 2015.

It will be Bates' first appearance at IRA's, competing against the best of the best in collegiate rowing, including the likes of Washington, Harvard and Yale. The IRA National Championships have been held since 1895 and serve as the National Championship for men's heavyweight, men's lightweight and women's lightweight rowing.

MV8: Bow: Joshua Bilchik; 2: Kento Kajima; 3: Maxwell Milavetz; 4: Mats Terwiesch; 5: Daniel Sparks; 6: Quinn Gardner; 7: Roderick Pratt; stroke: Eric Jordan; c: Ariel Lee