WORCESTER, Mass. -- The Bates men's third varsity eight earned a silver medal, highlighting the National Invitational Rowing Championship Sunday for the Bobcat rowing teams. 

Led by sophomore coxswain Micah Shimizu (Methuen, Mass.) and junior stroke Ben Auerbach (Greenbrae, Calif.), the men's 3V took second to the Trinity College Bantams in their morning heat, racing to the finish in 6:23.542, edging Wesleyan and easily outracing WPI to qualify for the grand final. In the grand final, Bates not only beat fourth-place Trinity, they also edged perennial power Hobart with a time of 6:24.277 to Hobart's 6:24.330. It was enough for second place behind Tufts (6:22.013), the best finish for the Bates men's third varsity eight at NIRCs since 2017.

"That was a big boost to the entire team," head coach Peter Steenstra said. "They have been racing well all year, so seeing them out-perform their seeding to bring home some hardware was terrific." 

The men's open four and first varsity eight joined the 3V in qualifying for their respective grand finals. Led by sophomore coxswain Melinda Kostrinsky (Miami, Fla.) and first-year stroke Finian Guinney (Seattle, Wash.), the open four finished third in their heat in 7:52.498. Then the Bobcats cut 12 seconds off that time in the grand final, crossing the finish line in 7:40.819, beating Rochester and Connecticut College for a fifth-place showing, the best finish for the Bates men's open four at NIRCs since 2018.

Led by junior coxswain Izzy Beck (Upper Montclair, N.J.) and sophomore stroke George Fauver (Bedford, N.Y.), the Bates 1V finished second in their heat to eventual NESCAC champion Wesleyan with a time of 6:09.435. Then the Bobcats finished sixth in a very fast grand final, crossing the line in 6:04.801, just behind Tufts (6:03.521) and Trinity (6:02.023). 

Bates improved on their showing at NIRCs a year ago, when the men's 1V only made the petite final. The Bobcats are in good shape to once again compete at the IRA National Championship Regatta, where Bates placed third last year. They will find out officially this week if they have earned an invite to IRAs.

On the women's side, the first and second varsity eights just missed qualifying for their respective grand finals, but both emerged victorious in their petite finals to end the year on a high note. The 1V and 2V lose a combined two rowers to graduation, however they will both have to replace their senior coxswains who are also graduating. 

"These two young crews winning their petite finals was big for the future of the program," Steenstra said. "We don't want them to compare themselves to the past; we want them to build the program for the future and this was a great start."

Bates MV8 lineup: Bow: Luke Desmaison; 2: Sean Christiansen; 3: Jimmy Staller; 4: Conor McGuckin; 5: Lando Putnam-Bagley; 6: Isaac Levinger; 7: Charlie Berman; Stroke: George Fauver; c: Izzy Beck

Bates M2V8 lineup: Bow: Riley Young; 2: Ian Van Loo; 3: Brendan Kelly; 4: Nick Hoerle; 5: Oliver Firmenich; 6: Charles Renvyle; 7: Luke Johnson; Stroke: Andrew Frey; c: Darien Chiang

Bates M3V8 lineup: Bow: Erik Lindholm; 2: Hugh McCabe; 3: Leo Sullivan; 4: Will Conway; 5: Alex Appleton; 6: Kelly McKaige; 7: Micah Johnson; Stroke: Ben Auerbach; c: Micah Shimizu

Bates MO4 lineup: Bow: Benji Richards; 2: Henry Gunderson; 3: Soren Davidson; Stroke: Finian Guinney; c: Melinda Kostrinsky

Bates WV8 lineup: Bow: Olivia Smith; 2: Hannah Burdick; 3: Isabelle Martin; 4: Olivia Szachta; 5: Livia Bernhardt; 6: Maggie Gill; 7: Cal Dagner; Stroke: Charlotte Comrack; c: Lucy Del Col

Bates W2V8 lineup: Bow: May Fastaia; 2: Megan O'Donnell; 3: Hannah de Fontaine; 4: Tatum Holley; 5: Quinn Gleason; 6: Katarina Dickson; 7: Madeline Kemp; Stroke: Rylee Eaton; c: Oli Seline

Bates W3V8 lineup: Bow: Elizabeth Gramley 2: Sula Harf; 3: Olivia Dekker; 4: Abigail Somosky; 5: Merrill Doherty; 6: Dominique Bunnell; 7: Froney Dreher; Stroke: Julia Buzacott c: Audrey Kamine