Athletics

Varsity Sports

Men's Crew

Overview

Dylan Jackson '13 and Aaron Whiteman '13 lead three returners from the varsity eight lineup that rowed for Hamilton College men's crew in the 2012 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships. Coxswain Jaime Leiva-Cabrera '14 is the other member of that boat back this season. Jackson, Whiteman and Simon Judd '13 are the seniors on the roster. Jackson gained valuable experience during the summer when he competed for the Pennsylvania Athletic Club Rowing Association at the 2012 USRowing Club National Championships. He was part of a men's intermediate lightweight 8+ that captured a gold medal, a men's senior lightweight 4+ that took silver and a men's intermediate lightweight 4+ that earned bronze.

Chris Visentin '12 and Adam Minchew '12 helped lead Hamilton to its second straight Tampa Mayor's Cup points trophy during spring break in March 2012, as well as head-to-head varsity eight and varsity four victories against Tufts University last spring. After the season, Visentin made the NESCAC all-conference and ECAC all-conference teams.

Andre Matias '12 rowed on the national and international stage several times. He won gold in the lightweight men's single at the 2010 U.S. Collegiate National Championships, and finished fourth in the lightweight men's single at the seventh African Rowing Championships that same year. Matias competed in the 2009 and 2010 Under-23 World Championships as the first athlete from Angola to participate in the event. He trained in South Africa in 2010 and attempted to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games as a representative of Angola. Visentin rowed with Matias at the 2010 collegiate championships.

Willy Cowles '09 has been active on the national rowing scene since he graduated from Hamilton. Most recently, Cowles finished second at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in the double sculls. He won gold in the elite men's single sculls and double sculls at the 2011 U.S. Rowing National Championships.

Hamilton competes against Union College every spring for the Gilman Cup and Gilman Bowl. The Cup is awarded to the winner of the varsity eight and the Bowl goes to the varsity four champion. The hardware stays with the winning school until the teams meet again the following year. Hamilton claimed the Gilman Bowl every year from 2007 to 2011, and held on to the Gilman Cup from 2007 to 2010.

Jeff Cardoni '11 made the 2011 NESCAC all-conference team as stroke for the varsity eight, and Ricky Bottini '10 was on the inaugural NESCAC all-conference team in 2010. Bottini earned a spot on the ECAC all-conference team that same year. In 2009 at the New York State championships, Hamilton tied for fifth place in the point standings out of 27 programs, and received the award for most improved team. Men's crew was awarded varsity status at Hamilton prior to the 1998-99 academic year.

Exceptional academic performance is important to the crew programs. Matt Poterba '12, Minchew and Jackson earned spots on the 2012 NESCAC spring all-academic team. The team is restricted to letter winners in the sophomore, junior and senior classes that have a cumulative grade point average of 3.35 or better. Kosta Popovic '06 was elected to the Epsilon chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, which is the nation's oldest honor society, in 2006.

The fall season starts on Oct. 6 with Hamilton's Bridge-to-Bridge Head Race on the Erie Canal. Hamilton races in Boston (Head of the Charles) and Philadelphia (Head of the Schuylkill) later in October. The spring season features a two-week training trip in March. Hamilton traveled to Tampa, Fla., in 2012 and competed in the Tampa Mayor's Cup for the third straight year. The New York State championships and the ECAC championships highlight the spring schedule.