The men’s rowing varsity 8+ boat competes during the Eastern Sprints race May 17 on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester County.

Varsity Sports

BU Rowing Teams Head to California for IRA National Championship Regatta This Weekend

Men’s and women’s lightweight rowing teams finish out season at the biggest event of the year

Even though the 2025–2026 academic year has been over for two weeks, two of Boston University’s three rowing teams have one more race to go in their season. The men’s and women’s lightweight teams are gearing up to compete in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championship Regatta in Gold River, Calif., this weekend.

Men’s rowing

The men’s lightweight team has been in “training camp mode,” since the end of the semester, says Caleb Schwartz (ENG’26). Since the rowers no longer have academic responsibilities, they have been training more than they typically would during the season, and living together in Rich Hall.

“We’re just training pretty much twice a day,” Schwartz says. “We’re kind of like professional rowers now—that’s our joke.”

The men’s rowing team, which is led by head coach Thomas Bohrer, will race four boats over the course of the IRA regatta—three eight-person boats and one four-person, spanning four different events.

To prepare, the Terriers are homing in on small technical changes to maximize their top speeds, Bohrer says.

“It’s really extremely focused practice in terms of technical calls, how the boat is moving, the speed of the boat,” Bohrer says. “The focus level has been just really, really high.”

When it comes to goals, the Terriers have their eye on placing top-10 overall. Bohrer says being among the top-10 fastest teams in the country would be a “really respectable result.” But he knows that every individual race matters.

“We’re looking to place as high as we can in each event,” Bohrer says. “It’s hard to win there, but I think it gives us a great opportunity to place up as high as we can.”

Even though the Terriers’ goals are lofty, the team is brimming with confidence, ready to prove their place—and that starts on Friday. (The program saw four crews finish eighth overall or higher at the Eastern Sprints on May 17.) 

“We really want to show everybody that BU is back,” Schwartz says. “We’ve had a great year so far and we want to continue that.”

Women’s rowing

In preparation for the biggest event of the season, the women’s lightweight rowing team is replicating race conditions as frequently as possible, Catherine Clark (Questrom’26) says.

Whether practicing their sprints or taking part in high-intensity training sessions, Clark says the extra preparation has been beneficial, as it will allow the team to feel more comfortable when it comes time to race, starting Friday.

“That’s been really helpful because then when you go down the course, you only have to do it once, as opposed to multiple times in practice,” she says.

The IRA regatta is what BU builds its entire season up to, says head coach Mary Foster.

“Every race that we do is a stepping stone and an opportunity to learn and get better,” she says. “Once we get to the national championship, it’s ultimately, ‘What do we want to accomplish when we get to the end of the season?’”

Expectations are sky-high for the Terriers. The goal is to place first in team points, says Clark. Another goal is for every one of their boats to medal. BU’s women’s lightweight program is racing three boats: one eight-person, one four-person, and one double.

“We’ve talked about placing first for a really long time, and have had that in the back of our minds,” Clark says. “Everyone’s been really focused for the entire year, and now this is the culmination of all of that work,” Clark says.

The Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship Regatta is Friday, May 29, to Sunday, May 31, on Lake Natoma in Gold River, Calif. Live results will be tracked here.

Follow BU men’s rowing on X @TerrierMROW and women’s lightweight rowing @Terrier130Row. Find the complete racing schedule and other information here.