THE BASICS:

• Regatta: IRA National Championship
• Date: Saturday, May 30, 2015
• Location: West Windsor, N.J. (Mercer Lake)
• The Lead: The No. 18 nationally ranked varsity eight defeated No. 15 Wisconsin, George Washington, No. 19 Syracuse and No. 16 Oregon State as the Holy Cross men's rowing team competed in the second day of the 113th Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championship on Saturday on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J. The varsity eight qualified for the third-level final on Sunday, May 31 at 11:48 a.m.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The No. 18 nationally ranked varsity eight placed second in the No. 3 semifinal out of six boats with a time of 5:45.795 to qualify for the third-level final on Sunday at 11:48 a.m., as the top three boats qualified. The Crusaders can now place either 13th through 18th place in the overall varsity eight competition. The Crusaders defeated No. 15 Wisconsin (5:45.884), George Washington (5:48.299), No. 19 Syracuse (5:48.995) and No. 16 Oregon State (5:50.470). No. 13 Dartmouth won with a time of 5:43.615.
• The second varsity eight placed fifth in the No. 3 semifinal out of five boats with a time of 6:07.116. Navy won with a time of 5:51.407. The Crusaders will compete in the fourth-level on Sunday at 9:24 a.m.  
• The third varsity eight did not compete today as the Crusaders will be in the third-level final on Sunday at 9:36 a.m.

THE LINEUPS:

• Holy Cross Varsity Eight: J.T. Kearney (Coxswain), Vince LaMonte, T.J. Watts, Sam Poryanda, John Burke, Andrew McNamara, John Tanis, Anthony Criscitiello, Connor May.
• Holy Cross Second Varsity Eight: Christian Brooks (Coxswain), Jon Bachmann, Luke Graham, Christian Kerrigan, James Holland, Sean Horan, Keenan Moore, Joe Nolan, Tiarnan Doherty.
• Holy Cross Third Varsity Eight: Cally Hickey (Coxswain), Casey Norton, Chris Paul, Chris Mudrick, Zack Zaniewski, Brian Latu, Ted Langlois, Will Callif, Kyle Larkin.

UP NEXT:

• The Crusaders will conclude competition at the IRA National Championship on Sunday, May 31. The varsity eight will compete in the third-level final at 11:48 a.m., the second varsity eight will be in the fourth-level final at 9:24 a.m. and the third varsity eight will compete in the third-level final at 9:36 a.m.

FEATURE STORY: MEN'S ROWING CONTINUES HISTORIC SEASON

VIDEO: MEN'S ROWING SET FOR IRA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

KEEP CONNECTED:

• You can stay connected with the Holy Cross men's rowing team by following the Crusaders on Twitter @HCrossMRowing. You can also get the latest news and results on the team sent directly to your e-mail. To sign up for e-mail alerts go here: http://www.goholycross.com/list-signup.