CAMDEN, N.J. — The 122nd IRA National Championship Regatta will be contested on the Cooper River in New Jersey this weekend, and UC San Diego men's rowing has two varsity eight boats ready to race with the best programs in the country.
 
Both of the Tritons' boats will begin the competition with heat races on Friday. AB and CD semifinals are set for Saturday, followed by four finals in each classification on Sunday. The Tritons are guaranteed to have one race each day.
 
This is UC San Diego's eighth-consecutive appearance at the IRA National Championship. Head coach Peter Simeone has now qualified the Tritons for nationals in both of his seasons at the helm of the program.
 
SCHEDULE
Varsity Eight
The Tritons will be in heat three on Friday, which begins at 8:32 a.m. ET (5:32 a.m. PT). Also in that heat are Cornell, Harvard, Oregon State, Syracuse and Yale. The top three finishers advance to the AB semifinals, while the remainder will be in the CD semifinals.
 
Saturday's action begins with the AB semifinals at 8:32 and 8:40 a.m. ET. The CD semifinals are later on at 9:20 and 9:28 a.m. The top three finishers in each race advance to the better of the two possible finals on Sunday.
 
The four finals on Sunday start at 9:12 a.m. ET with the D final, followed by the C final at 9:20 a.m. The B final will be at 11:50 a.m. before the 12:10 p.m. A final, which will crown a national champion.
 
Second Varsity Eight
The Tritons will once again start the regatta on Friday in heat three, with second varsity eight racing at 9:20 a.m. ET (6:20 a.m. PT). Also in that heat are Cornell, Georgetown, Harvard, Northeastern and Syracuse.
 
Second varsity uses the same format as first varsity, with the top three finishers in each race advancing to the better semifinals and finals.
 
AB semifinals on Saturday will be at 8:48 and 8:56 a.m. ET, while the CD semifinals are scheduled for 9:36 and 9:44 a.m. Sunday's races begin with the D final at 8:38 a.m. ET and the C final at 9:04 a.m., followed later by the B final at 11:00 a.m. and the A final at 11:10 a.m.
 
LINEUPS
Varsity Eight
Cox: Vahram Tchakmakjian
Stroke: Kevork Tchakmakjian
7. Sebastian Navarro
6. Jake Lopez
5. Camden Park-Coburn
4. Adam Moakher
3. Kyle Pellegrini
2. Charlie Josephbek
Bow: Davis Schroeder
 
Second Varsity Eight
Cox: Estella Zeppelin
Stroke: Tate Griffin
7. Daniel Jarotzky
6. Michael Brown
5. Archie McKirdy
4. Bryce Blair
3. Andrew Saska
2. Michael McMaster
Bow: Charles Talley
 
A NEW ERA
In December, UC San Diego was announced as one of eight men's rowing programs joining the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). The conference is sponsoring men's rowing for the first time in 2024-25 and now supports 15 sports. Other men's rowing members include California, Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego, Santa Clara, Stanford and Washington.
 
INTERCOLLEGIATE ROWING ASSOCIATION
Division I collegiate men's rowing is governed by the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA). Men's rowing and the rest of the UC San Diego athletic department is fully eligible for postseason competition. The 2025 IRA National Championship is May 30-June 1 in Camden, New Jersey.
 
MEET THE TRITONS
Roster
There are 39 scholar-athletes on the men's rowing team, 24 returners and 15 newcomers. The squad consists of 14 freshmen, five sophomores, 10 juniors, nine seniors and one grad student.
 
HEAD COACH PETER SIMEONE
Peter Simeone is in his third season at UC San Diego and his second as head coach. Last season Simeone saw three boats compete at the IRA National Championship.
 
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.

ROWING TALK ON UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS' PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast, Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department as the program transitions to NCAA Division I and The Big West. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on X @Tritoncast.

GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO MEN'S ROWING
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through X, Instagram and Facebook. The team's handle is @ucsdmrowing.

FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events and much more!

GEAR
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, click here.

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.