PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Florida Tech men's Heavyweight 4+ capped off a perfect weekend of racing on Saturday afternoon as the crew cruised to a victory in the Grand Final at the Dad Vail Regatta to win the Thomas A. Curran Cup for the first time since 2013.
 
The Panthers were unmatched over their three races over the two days on the Schuylkill River, including posting the fastest time in Saturday's semifinals (6:17.127) to earn a spot in the Grand Final. 
 
Florida Tech continued its impressive pace in the Final as it sped through the course and crossed the final buoy with the quickest time of the weekend at 6:12.664, more than three seconds ahead of runner-up La Salle (6:16.240) and third-place Oklahoma City (6:20.380).
 
HEAVYWEIGHT 4+
4 / Arnedas Kelmelis
3 / Justas Kuskevicius
2 / Domantas Marocka
Bow / Jackson Moore
Coxswain / Ben Komita 
 
COACH'S CORNER:
"We're really proud of the guys and the crew," exclaimed head coach Jim Granger. "It was a challenging weekend with the weather and some of the logistics, but they got better and better every time they got out. Through the heat and the semifinal and then ultimately the final. They rowed aggressive. 
 
"Hats off to La Salle and Oklahoma City, they really pushed us really hard in the first 750 to 1,000 meters in the Final. Once we got to the turn, got on our base, we were able to stride out and come away with about a one-length victory. So, it was great day for Florida Tech and for the guys on the team."

COXSWAIN'S COMMENTS:
"It was an awesome way to end a tough weekend of racing today," said graduate coxswain Ben Komita. "Really excited to get to race in the historic Dad Vail Regatta and even more elated to come away with a win. Very much looking ahead to the IRAs in a few weeks and looking to be just as competitive there."

UP NEXT: Florida Tech will now set its sights on the IRA Regatta on June 3-5 in Mercer Lake, N.J.
 
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