MBA Rowing Alumni.

MBA Rowing: Spring 2024 Preview

This spring, the Big Red Crew will be led by a strong and experienced group of seniors.  Nine MBA oarsmen have qualified to race at the SRAA National Championships at least once in their career.  Five of the seniors (Will Caldwell, Cooper Coleman, Colin Durelli, Hays Lindsey, and Fielding Staelin) have qualified for the Nationals every year so far.  The experience gained from racing against the fastest rowers in the country has been carried into every workout, every practice, and every drill that these guys have done since the fall.  They have been pushing and motivating the younger rowers to help them reach their full potential.  To a man, they want to leave behind an even stronger team for next year.

The team will have its first competition of the spring at the Percy Priest Sprints in Nashville on April 6th.  Being prom, the upperclassmen will focus on the events that are earlier in the day in order to ensure that they can get to the prom on time.  MBA will most likely be the only “scholastic” team at the regatta. The other teams will be club teams from across the south and Midwest.  The early departure by the upperclassmen will allow the younger rowers to gain valuable experience by being able to compete in events typically left to the upperclassmen.

The boys will then head up to Marietta, OH to compete in the Lindamood Cup on April 13th. Last year, the Big Red won both the Boy’s and the Combined Points trophies.  They are looking to repeat that feat this year.  The Lindamood Cup provides the team an opportunity to race against some of the other scholastic teams which we will see at the Midwest Championships.  After the Marietta trip, the boys will have a couple of weeks off from racing.  The focus will be on getting the lineups set and prepared for the Midwest. 

The last “tune up” race for the Midwest is the TN/GA State Championships held in Chattanooga. Except for the Varsity 8 and 4, the events at the State Championships do not directly line up with the Midwest or Nationals.  Therefore, each year, MBA chooses to keep its focus on the Midwest and Nationals through this regatta.  The team races its “Midwest lineups” in whichever event fits the best.  While we may not win too many individual races, the goal is to do well enough in all of them to be in a position to win a team championship.  Last year, the Big Red won the Sculling Championship and should be in a good position to do it again this year.

The Midwest Championships in Milford, MI on May 11th and 12th is the program’s focus regatta each year.  The Big Red will face off against 60 teams from 9 states.  Not only are regional championships up for grabs, so too are invitations to the SRAA National Championships.  The boys have finished 3rd in the Sculling Points Trophy for each of the past 3 years.  What is remarkable about this feat is that the team has been focused on the Sweep events with the sculling events being “fun” races.  This past fall, the seniors set a goal of ending Ann Arbor Skyline’s 10 year stranglehold on the Sculling Trophy.  The focus being shifted to sculling for the year should bode well for the team’s chances to be crowned the best sculling program in the region.

If things go well at the Midwest, the Big Red will conclude its season at the SRAA National Championships in Camden, NJ on May 24th and 25th.  This would mark the8th season in a row in which the team has qualified at least one boat for the Nationals.  The boys are also highly motivated to continue our streak of National Championships.  The Big Red have won a national title in each of the previous two seasons.  Due to the talent, motivation, and work ethic of this team, MBA has a real opportunity to earn a few podium finishes.

Row Red!

Rich Kesor

Head Coach - MBA Rowing