SARASOTA, Fla. – The men's rowing team is bringing home some hardware after Saturday's racing at the FIRA Championship Regatta at Nathan Benderson Lake.
 
The Panthers competed in seven events, medaling in five. Tech took first in the Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+, second in the double, and third in the Freshman 8+ and Freshman 4+.
 
The Varsity 8+ got the day started for Tech, competing in a field of six crews. The Panthers built a lead throughout the 2,000 meters and held off a surge by Embry-Riddle in the final 250 meters to take first.
 
The 2V8+ took fourth in a field of eight. Right off the line, Tech fell just slightly behind Embry-Riddle 'A' and Jacksonville 'A' and into third. A push by Embry-Riddle 'B' put the Panthers into the fourth position, and Tech held on for the remainder of the race, finishing in 6:34.48 and ahead of Jacksonville 'B', Rollins, Central Florida Rowing, and Florida.
 
Hugo Ruzicka (Stroke) and Thomas Matt  (Bow) represented Tech in the Men's Pair. The men crossed the line in 8:12.20 for a fifth-place finish.
 
The Freshman 8+ took third in a field of five, finishing in 6:28.87, ahead of Central Florida Rowing and Florida. Embry-Riddle crossed the line first (6:16.11), followed by Jacksonville (6:27.01) for second.
 
In the Men's Double, Domantas Marocka (Stroke) and Hayden Linkel (Bow), competed in a field of seven. The Panthers took second, finishing in 7:18.30, just 3.31 seconds behind Florida. The Panthers held off Jacksonville in the final 500 meters (7:21.35). Embry-Riddle (7:28.25), Central Florida Rowing (7:45.35), USF-A (8:32.60), and USF-B (8:37.12) rounded out the bottom half, respectively.
 
Earning another medal for Tech, the Freshman 4+ placed third in a field of seven. Rollins (7:02.61) and Jacksonville A (7:02.71) claimed the top two spots, while Tech (7:22.83) had open water on the other four crews, finishing 22 seconds ahead of the fourth-place crew.
 
In the closest race of the day, the Varsity 4+, competing in a field of eight, built momentum throughout the first half of the race, sitting close to Jacksonville. At the halfway mark, the Panthers made a push and sat even with JU. The two crews fought stroke by stroke for the last 250 meters, but the Panthers came out victorious, crossing the line 0.51 ahead of JU.
 
 
Varsity 8+
Coxswain / Alex Doeringer-Smith
8 / Sandro Gardella
7 / Omer Bayram
6 / Justas Kuskevicius
5 / Arnedas Kelmelis
4 / Hugo Ruzicka
3 / Thomas Matt
2 / Domantas Marocka
Bow / Maxwell Robinson
 
2 Varsity 8+
Coxswain / Preston Widener
8 / Pedro Castro
7 / Apostolos Bitzilekis Apostolidis
6 / Nikolas Elwell
5 / Tristan Pavlakis
4 / Liam Holle
3 / Mitchell Davis
2 / Hayden Linkel
Bow / Anthony Tomic
 
Pair
2 / Hugo Ruzicka
1 / Thomas Matt
 
Double
2 / Domantas Marocka
1 / Hayden Linkel
 
Freshman 4+
4 / Pedro Castro
3 / Apostolos Bitzilekis Apostolidis
2 / Nikolas Elwell
1/ Maxwell Robinson
Coxswain / Preston Widener
 
Varsity 4+
4 / Sandro Gardella
3 / Omer Bayram
2 / Justas Kuskevicius
1 / Arnedas Kelmelis
Coxswain / Alex Doeringer-Smith
 
 
UP NEXT: Florida Tech is back on the water  April 5^th when they head to Deland, Fla. to take on Stetson.
 
For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech men's rowing team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.