Colgate ready to battle at IRA

The Raiders achieved one of the best seasons in program history

The Colgate men's rowing team is returning to the IRA National Championship Regatta following one of the best seasons in program history.

The Raiders won first place at three races, and took home the silver medal at the Dad Vail Regatta — a crucial competition that proved Colgate could go toe-to-toe against the best in the nation.

After a strong finish to the fall schedule, the rowers have continued their upward trajectory in the spring, and they've done it with a minuscule roster.

How minuscule? Colgate has nine rowers and a coxswain. It's enough for a varsity eight boat. The team has one spare rower.

When the nationals kick off on June 3 in West Windsor, N.J., Colgate will take on opponents that have up to 60 rowers and multiple boats.

But the group, led by Head Men's Rowing Coach Khaled Sanad, is brimming with confidence and is hungry to do better than its No. 17 finish last year at the IRA.

Colgate has one of the smallest rowing programs in collegiate sports. Some rowing programs will recruit as many rowers as they can. By having more rowers, the competition internally is elevated. Student-athletes know they must be faster to earn a spot on a boat.

At Colgate, the small roster means every student-athlete has a crucial role.

"One good thing about our program is it's really about the individual performance," said co-captain Thomas Feeney '23, a history major from Buffalo. "It's the sum of all of its parts. You need everyone at 100 percent, going above and beyond to achieve success."

Riley Rice '24, a political science and environmental studies major from Trumansburg, N.Y., said the small roster has become part of the team's character.

The rowers have become a scrappy and resourceful group, gaining valuable experience over the past year from multiple races where Colgate had to battle in heat. Those races taught the Raiders how to fight to the end, Rice said.

Being a small program is also a source of motivation.

"Knowing we come into the race as underdogs and have persevered, it has guided the team to success," Rice said.

The team also had to persevere after a tough start to the spring semester that included injuries and COVID-19 interference.

The Raiders struggled in their first race of the season on April 3 against Syracuse, a program with four times as many rowers.

But the maroon and white regrouped and worked harder to be better.

The next race was the Knecht Cup Regatta and a first-place finish for Colgate's varsity eight. It was the first time in program history Colgate came in at No. 1 at that race.

MROW Dad Vail — The Raiders with their silver medals at Dad Vail Regatta

The next two races were the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Champion Regatta and the Ithaca Invitational. Colgate earned first place in both competitions.

Next came the Dad Vail Regatta and a critical moment for Colgate. The Raiders won the race in 2019, a first for the program, but then in 2020 had an unfortunate result after their boat collided with an opponent.

For a year, the rowers were itching to return to Dad Vail, wishing to erase the perception that their 2019 win was a fluke. Victory meant knocking off some of the best rowing programs in the nation.

Colgate earned the silver at this year's Dad Vail, finishing 2.5 seconds behind Drexel, a program with more than 50 rowers. The Raiders finished ahead of Temple, St. Joseph's, Delaware, and George Washington University.

It wasn't a repeat of 2019, but the Raiders were still thrilled with the result. The rowers had been thinking about Dad Vail all spring, knowing success meant Colgate could compete against top teams.

"It meant a lot to us," said co-captain Colin Clark '23, an economics major from Houston. "Dad Vail is the main thing we train for. It's our Patriot League equivalent. We wanted to come back really strong."

After dealing with adversity, Colgate demonstrated great determination, Feeney said.

"I'm really proud of what the team has accomplished this season," Feeney said. "It has been a very difficult one, but even with those difficulties, this has been one of the most successful seasons the team has had."

Each student-athlete has been important to the team's success. But the rowers say the primary reason for the program's strong season is their coach.

"He's the heart of the team," Clark said. "He's the reason why we do so well, especially with such a small program. He really drives us to be the best we can be."

Sanad has coached the program since it became a varsity sport in 2001. He was a rower and a boxer in Egypt, and has used those experiences to teach Colgate rowers to battle in races.

He's credited for knowing how to push student-athletes to be their best.

"He brings the fighting spirit of a boxer, to know when to get back up and when to sit in a fight," said Rice, who transferred to Colgate from Temple. "I've never met a coach who is willing to push us as hard as Coach Khaled."

Next for Colgate is the IRA, which will be tougher this year because several top rowing programs will compete after skipping last year's race due to the pandemic.

To be ready, Colgate has gone through a grueling two-week period in which the team practiced multiple times a day on weekdays.

The rowers know that a No. 17 finish will be harder this year. But the group is more mature and experienced today.

"Everyone is excited," Clark said. "We look forward to going back. It's the top level of racing."

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Players Mentioned

Colin Clark: 6' 0"; Junior

Thomas Feeney: 6' 1"; Junior

Riley Rice: 5' 10"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Colin Clark
: 6' 0"; Junior

Thomas Feeney
: 6' 1"; Junior

Riley Rice
: 5' 10"; Sophomore