SACRAMENTO, Cal. – The Florida Tech men's crew was back in the water for the first day of the 2026 IRA National Championship Regatta at Lake Natoma in Sacramento, California on Friday, May 29.
The regatta began Friday morning with a time trial. The Panthers notched the 17
th fastest time (6:26.054) out of 29 crews. Florida Tech secured a spot in the semifinals. Ninth through 17
th were separated by just six seconds.
In the semifinals, Tech landed in the second heat against Washington, Marist, Northeastern, Jacksonville and St. Joseph's. The top two advance to the grand final, while the third and fourth place finishers advance to the petite final, and the fifth and sixth place finishers compete in the 'C' final.
The Panthers posted a gutsy performance where they pushed the opposition to the limit early as they came out of the gate hot. With Tech with the lead, Washington and Marist made their push and were able to catch the Panthers midway through the race. Down the final stretch, Tech was positioned in fourth with Jacksonville neck and neck. JU was able to just edge out Tech as the Panthers came in fifth with a time of 6:44.480. Florida Tech battled hard as they beat out St. Joseph's who posted a time of 6:44.930.
Washington and Marist took first and second with times of 6:32.820 and 6:34.720, respectively.
Varsity 4+
4 /
Sandro Gardella
3 /
Renger Hakkenberg
2 /
Mykolas Montvila
1 /
Milan Ladevac
Coxswain /
Caroline Morris
UP NEXT
Florida Tech will next compete in the 2026 IRA National Championship in the Varsity 4+ 'C' Final at Lake Natoma on Saturday, May 30 at 10:48 a.m.
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.
Scholars. Champions. Leaders.
