The women’s varsity four team’s victory marks its first national championship since 2022. (Photo courtesy of Annabelle Witkowski ’26)

The crew team ended its spring season at the American Collegiate Rowing Association National Championship Regatta in mid-May. After three days at Melton Lake in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the women’s varsity four boat paddled its way to the first-place crown in the grand finals while the men’s varsity four squad finished third overall.

Led by senior coxswain Annabelle Witkowski, the women’s boat consisting of sophomores June Morishige and Bridget Duffy and seniors Kelsey Donatelli and Elle Lansing finished the 2,000-meter course in 7:45.54 to beat out five other club teams in May 17’s race for the championship title, the team’s first since 2022.

“I had to remind the girls that this was the event that they had trained for, and that the past four years culminated for the three out of five of us in the boat,” Witkowski said. “Laying it all out there and reminding them that this is the last race for a lot of them ever, I think, really gave them a final push.”

To qualify for the grand finals at nationals, teams had to finish in the top two of their respective competition in Friday’s heats before advancing to Saturday’s semifinals, where each heat sent either the top two or three squads to Sunday’s finals, depending on the event. The women’s varsity four squad placed second and first on Friday and Saturday, respectively, to secure their spot on Sunday.

“We really wanted to set ourselves up for Sunday, so we decided to go off the line and race the first 1,000 meters like our final just to see what we have in the tank,” Witkowski said about Friday’s race.

The men’s boat of seniors Owen Piskorowski, Owen Baute, Max Richardson, coxswain Bella Bursor and junior Ryan Delmore finished in 6:52.96, within three seconds of the University of Texas club team and Grand Valley State University for third place. The squad previously finished first and second the past two days to advance to the finals.

“We were up over Texas at first, and then about halfway they ended up coming back,” Richardson said. “That was a big motivating factor to the first half of the race since they blew everybody out in the other two races.”

Coming off the Dad Vail Regatta the weekend prior, the crew team focused heavily on staying hydrated ahead of nationals, according to Witkowski.

“In Easton, we aren’t faced with heat like ever, and that weekend we’re getting hit with some 85 to 90 degree temps,” she said. “Knowing that we had three races lined up back to back in some extreme heat midday, that was something that we really needed to focus on.”

Several rowers also received American Collegiate Rowing Association All-Team recognition for their performances this season. Witkowski earned both First Team All-American and All-Mid Atlantic honors, while Lansing and head coach Rick Kelliher were also selected to the All-Mid Atlantic team.

“Coach this year really wanted to focus on representing ourselves as a team and getting our name on the board as Lafayette crew,” Witkowski said. “I’d say this year was a big win for the program.”

Now on his way out, Richardson said he is confident the current men’s novice four can fill the shoes of the varsity boat when the team hits the water this fall.

“I think that they care a lot about the sport, and I would just say to them, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing. It’s going to pay off in the end,’” he said.