CAMDEN, N.J. -- The Bates men's first varsity eight earned a bronze medal by taking third place out of six boats in their grand final on Saturday at the IRA National Championship, the second medal won at IRAs in program history. 

The Bates first and second varsity eights combined to score 39 points overall, good for fourth place out of eight D3 schools at the regatta. 

Led by sophomore coxswain Darien Chiang (Quincy, Mass.) and junior stroke seat Luke Desmaison (New York City), the Bobcats raced to the finish in the grand final in 5:45.520, outracing Williams (5:47.440), Wesleyan (5:50.870) and Colby (6:09.100). Trinity won the 1V grand final in 5:40.360, completing an undefeated season, while Tufts was second in 5:42.030. 

"The men's varsity eight did exceptionally well managing those incredibly difficult conditions," head coach Peter Steenstra said. "They had changed the game plan for this race, trying to be more aggressive off the front end of the course and it didn't really pan out the way we were hoping it would. But they pivoted quickly and continued on with their typical pattern of slowly working their way through the field. I'm really happy with their performance." 

The second varsity eight finished their season on a winning note. Led by senior coxswain Izzy Beck (Upper Montclair, N.J.) and senior captain stroke seat Ian Van Loo (Seattle), Bates beat Marietta in a one-on-one petite final with a time of 6:05.460. It was a tight race, as Marietta crossed the finish line in 6:05.950. Meanwhile, the varsity four wrapped up their season with a sixth-place finish in the sixth-level final, clocking in at 7:12.540.

The IRA National Championship Regatta marks the final event of the 2024-25 Bates athletics season.

Bates MV8 lineup: Bow: Erik Lindholm; 2: Sean Christiansen; 3: Luke Johnson; 4: Ben Auerbach; 5: Oliver Firmenich; 6: Charles Renvyle; 7: George Fauver; Stroke: Luke Desmaison; c: Darien Chiang

Bates M2V8 lineup: Bow: Thomas Pacinda; 2: John Cleary; 3: Kelly McKaige; 4: Nicholas Hoerle; 5: Leo Sullivan; 6: Peter Gratwick; 7: Benji Richards; Stroke: Ian Van Loo; c: Izzy Beck

Bates MV4 lineup: Bow: Sam Perozek; 2: Alex Appleton; 3: Wiley Anderson; 4: Jimmy Staller; c: Micah Shimizu