Annika Dyczkowski ’25
Executive Sports Editor
On Sunday, April 13, the Trinity men’s rowing team was victorious on Cooper River, winning the Knecht Cup after the 1V8 boat defeated Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the final race of the day. The Tripod had the opportunity to discuss the team’s success and future goals with team members Jack Carr ’25, Felix Goldmann ’25 and Quin Woods ’23 M.A. ’25. Carr, Goldmann and Woods were all rowers in the 1V8 boat in the Knecht Cup race, defeating MIT by 1.6 seconds. The 1V8 added to the Bantams first place victory by the 2V8 and the second place finish by the 3V8.
“We go to this race every year, but it’s one of the only times we race teams outside of D3 and the NESCAC, so it’s a cool way for us to see how we’re stacking up every year,” said Carr. “We’ve had a really great season and [have been] pushing one another. We did really well in the heats on Saturday to push us through the final and then to a really close race with MIT on Sunday.”
The three affirmed that prior to their departure for New Jersey, the team left with the goal of taking home the Knecht Cup. “We came together as a group and got to a point where we knew we would not give up no matter what,” said Goldmann. “Rowing is a real mental force as much as it is physical.”
Having defeated MIT for the title, the group knew MIT was going to be the toughest competition on Cooper River. With ambitions of overcoming the opposition, the Bantams began training long before one weekend in April. “Preparation for this race started back in February when we did 2ks on the erg,” stated Woods. “Every weekend we do race-paced work to get ready for the next weekend, because each weekend in April is so important for championship racing in May. This was a good checkpoint in our season to see where our speed is at and what improvements need to be made.”
While the 1.6 second difference between Trinity’s and MIT’s 1V8 boats is currently the tightest margin of their season, Woods affirms that this victory made it feel like their hard work paid off. “It was definitely a very satisfying moment because last year we lost to MIT and we know they are a strong crew.” In addition to getting their revenge from last year, the Bantams have been competing for the Knecht Cup since the 2010-2011 season and brought home their first tournament victory. “That was a major moment for me to know that Trinity’s program is at that high level, confirming that we know we’re doing the right things,” Woods stated.
“It was a great feeling, everyone was really excited,” stated Carr. “Our coach was quick to remind us that our goal is still the national championship in June, but it was a very promising step to win this regatta. We’re doing the right things, but now we’re [focused on] how we can get better each practice through June.”
In their time as Bantams, the three experienced placing third in the Knecht Cup last season, making the Grand Final two seasons ago and not qualifying for finals at all three seasons ago. The three affirmed how their team culture changing has crucially contributed to their success this season. Goldmann stated, “One huge part is trust that we have established over the last four years. We are now in a crew where we are giving our absolute maximum for each other.” He continued, “Even last year, we had a pretty good crew but that line of trust in each other wasn’t quite there and that’s something we have this year. We all want the same thing and it’s a huge change in our culture… it’s the right change.”
Carr added, “D3 sports are weird because you have to train on your own so often in the off season and that can be really difficult. Coming into what was originally a small team to a team that’s now almost 50 people, we’ve worked hard to hold everyone accountable as upperclassmen and make sure everyone’s doing the right thing.” Carr concluded that with this culture shift, the team has grown significantly closer: “I think knowing that we’re racing for one another is really big and can really help push us forward.”
Woods attributes another key to the team’s success is simply the opposite: “You can’t succeed without also failing,” he affirmed. “We have experienced very disappointing races over the past few years, so I’d say that we’ve all learned from those experiences really well but we’ve done the work over the past 15 months to make sure that we don’t have the same feeling of failure.” Woods hails from Lincoln, NE, was a member of the swimming team during his undergrad and is rowing with his sixth year of eligibility; the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) afforded collegiate athletes who were affected by COVID to be eligible for two additional years, contrasted to the NCAAs one season. “For me and for our seniors, this is our last opportunity to really make our mark on Trinity rowing history. We’re all just motivated to not be denied.”
The team will be competing at the New England Rowing Championship in Worcester, MA on Saturday, May 3; soon after, the Bantams will make the same trip to race in the National Invitational Rowing Championship and NESCAC Championship combined on Sunday, May 11. Preparing for these critical races requires putting in the same work the team has been doing all season, the three agreed. “We just [need to] attack each morning’s practice with championship level focus and intensity. Every stroke is an opportunity to either take a step forward or a step back, but I think we’ve been taking more steps forward,” Woods stated.
“The reason why [this season] is going so well is because we’ve been doing the work all year,” Goldmann said. “The entire team has been doing phenomenal work over the winter and in the off season, when we don’t have the accountability.” He continued, “This team has grown into a mature team where people are being held accountable for their work by themselves and their teammates, not just their coaches. We have raised the standard to a level where we want to be fast and we want to win races and these improvements are paying off.”
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