Shawnigan Alums Win Gold at IRA Regatta National Championships

The University of Washington, featuring three Shawnigan alumni, swept away the competition at last weekend’s 107th IRA Championship Regatta, taking home gold medals in all three eights for the first time since 1997.  

BJ Caron ’05 and Max Lang ’05 featured in the marquee event of the regatta as the UW Varsity Eight pulled out a race for the ages, overcoming strong teams from the University of California and Stanford to grab the gold by less than a second.  After trailing the first 1500 metres of the race, the crew found another gear and roared past their opponents, securing victory and capping off stellar careers for the two Shawnigan Seniors.

Not to be outdone, the Second Varsity Eight also claimed victory, albeit in less dramatic fashion.  After a close start, the Huskies dominated the second half of the race, securing the win by more than four seconds.  This race featured former Shawnigan teammates going head-to-head, with UW Senior Stephen Connolly ’05 taking bragging rights from Geoff Roth ’05, a member of the bronze medal winning crew from the University of California.

Congratulations to all four competitors for their achievements!

-Ryan Panton '97, Alumni Relations