Varsity Men

Port/Starboard/Scull

Oswego East High School

High School: Fourth Dan Blackbelt in Taekwondo.

Sophomore Year: Raced the M2x at ACRA.

Junior Year (2023-2024): Served as the Men’s Team Treasurer. Raced in the M2V8+ at Music City and Bald Eagle.

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year: Rowing the mixed men's 8 in ICRI, spring break, brass pro shop pyramid, Acra

Sophomore Year: Spring break, Nashville and the smokies with the boys

Personal: Member of Illini Formula Electric. Enjoys photography and reading.

Port

Hoffman Estates High School

High School: Participated in Varsity Swim/Dive and Water Polo.

Novice Year (2022-2023): 1st in the MN8+ at Redhawk Sprints. Raced in the MN8+ at MACRA and ACRA.

Sophomore Year (2023-2024): Raced in the M2V8+ at Music City and Bald Eagle.

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year: Driving through the Appalachian mountains and watching the sunrise on our way back from the Georgia spring break trip

Sophomore Year: Ice cream with the team.

Personal: Member of Material Advantage and SHPE. Enjoys playing water polo, coffee, watching sunrises, stargazing, and being outside. He says “I like food.”

Port/Starboard/Coxswain

Mills High School

High School: Played Tennis, participated in Swim/Dive and Dragon Boat.

Novice Year (2022-2023): Coxed the MN8+ and Mix8+ at Redhawk Sprints, placing 1st. Raced at Head of the Rock in Fall 2022.

Sophomore Year (2023-2024): Raced in the M2V8+ at Music City and Bald Eagle.

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year: Coxing the “Goblin” (Novice) 8 and seeing Jack W crab at MACRA.

Personal: Love to travel and cook, has the largest number of nicknames on the team.

Port/Scull

Geneseo High School

High School: High school bass team member. Played football and wrestled.

Freshman Year (2021-22): Served as novice team captain. Raced in the M4x at ACRA.

Sophomore Year (2022-2023): Served as Men’s Team Vice President. Raced in the MV8+ at Redhawk Sprints, Bald Eagle, and Head of the Rock. Raced in the MV8+ Class of ‘22 at ACRA.

Junior Year (2023-2024): Served as Men’s Team Vice-President. Raced in the MV8+ and M2- at Music City, taking gold in the M2-. Raced in the M2- and MV8+ at Bald Eagle. Raced in the men’s collegiate coxed 4 Todd Tisdale at Head of the Charles.

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year: Racing the quad at ACRA and being in a single at spring break.

Sophomore Year: Everyone deciding to set the boat in the MV8+.

Junior Year: “Bringing the crew up to Mt. Horeb, WI to shred the freshie pow in sunny 40 degree weather. A truly magical way to expand our athletic endeavors beyond the sport of rowing.”

Personal: Focusing in structural engineering. Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Concrete Institute. Bruce enjoys freestyle skiing, working with his hands, being outside, and chainsaw carving. Vice President of Ski and Snowboard Club and Membership Director of Illini Cubers. Passionate about skiing, water sports, unicycling and any other activity that takes physical skill.

Starboard

Oak Park and River Forest High School

Novice Year (2022-2023): Raced in the MN8+ at ICRI and Redhawk Sprints (1st). Raced in the MN8+ at MACRA and ACRA.

Junior Year (2023-2024): Raced in the MV8+ at Music City and Bald Eagle. Also raced the MV4+ at Bald Eagle.

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year: Team breakfasts (Ikefast)

Personal: Eagle Scout. Member of the Illini Esports Overwatch Team.

Port/Starboard

University High School

Novice Year: Raced in the 1V8+ at Oakridge Invitational, joining as a spring novice.

Sophomore Year: Raced in the M2x at ACRA, taking bronze.

Junior Year: Raced in the MV8+ Class of ‘22 at ACRA. Raced in the MV8+ throughout the season. Winner of the Chris Marr award for Men’s Team Rower of the Year. Awarded 2nd Team All-American and Great Lakes Regional Team at ACRA.

Senior Year: Raced in the MV8+ and M1x at Music City, taking silver in the single. Raced in the men’s collegiate coxed 4 Todd Tisdale at Head of the Charles. Raced in the M2- and MV8+ at Bald Eagle.

Port/Starboard

Monta Vista High School

High School: Swam for Monta Vista Swim/Dive

Novice Year: Raced in the MN8+ at Redhawk and ICRI. Raced in the MN8+ at MACRA and ACRA.

Senior Year (2023-2024): Raced in the M2V8+ at Music City and Bald Eagle.

Favorite Team Memories: Driving through Tennessee on the way to Georgia for Spring Break

Personal:

Clubs/activities: President of Illinois Robotics in Space, President-elect of American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Co-Director of Education for MechSE MakerWorks, University of Illinois Astronomical Society, an undergraduate researcher at the observational cosmology lab, astrophysics and physics tutor.

Hobbies: hiking, stargazing, and tinkering.

Plans to pursue a PhD in physics.

Port/Starboard

Loyola Academy

High School: Played 4 years of Men’s Water Polo and Swim/Dive.

Novice Year (2022-2023): Raced the MN8+ at Redhawk Sprints (1st) and ICRI. Raced in the MV8+ Class of ‘22 at ACRA.

Junior Year (2023-2024): Raced in the MV8+ at Music City and Bald Eagle, and the M2- at Music City, along with the MV4+ at Bald Eagle.

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year: Team dinners on Spring Break.

Personal: Member of Illini Water Polo. Enjoys running, swimming and taking naps.

Port/Starboard

Downers Grove North High School

Novice Year (2022-2023): Placed 1st in the MN8+ at Redhawk Sprints. Raced in the MN8+ at MACRA and ACRA.

Sophomore Year (2023-2024): Raced in the MV8+ and M2- at Music City and the M2V8+ and MV4+ at Bald Eagle.

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year: Broke an erg and got to sit out the last 3 minutes of a workout.

Sophomore Year: “Making s’mores with the team immediately after I got surgery on my hand (which I thankfully don’t have memory of)”

Personal: Enjoys lifting and getting 8 hours of sleep.

Port/Starboard/Scull

York High School

High School: Wrestled for 4 years, qualified for sectionals. Competed in Track & Field for 1 year: shotput, discus, and sprints.

Novice Year (2021-2022): Raced in the M4x at ACRA.

Sophomore Year (2022-2023): Raced in the MV8+ Class of ‘22 at ACRA. Raced in the MV8+ throughout the season.

Junior Year (2023-2024): Served as Men’s Team President. Raced in the MV8+ and M2- at Music City, taking gold in the M2-. Raced in the M2- and MV8+ at Bald Eagle. Raced in the men’s collegiate coxed 4 Todd Tisdale at Head of the Charles.

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year: “Earning a silver medal in the M4x at ACRA and visiting the bass pro shop pyramid after the spring break trip.”

Sophomore Year: “Racing through hail, high winds, and choppy water at MACRA in the MV8+ and visiting Nashville after the spring break trip.”

Junior Year: “Racing at Head of The Charles in the Men's Collegiate Four and earning an automatic bid.”

Personal: Enjoys long boarding and reading. Teaches ENG 100 orientation class for first-year students as an Engineering Learning Assistant. Minor in Computer Science.

Starboard

Naperville North High School

High School: Played on the Men’s Volleyball Team.

Novice Year: Raced in the MN8+ at ICRI, Head of the Rock, and Bald Eagle. Raced the Mix8+ at Redhawk Sprints. Raced in the MN8+ at MACRA and ACRA.

Sophomore Year (2023-2024): Raced in the M2V8+ at Music City and Bald Eagle. Studied abroad in Singapore during the Spring Semester.

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year: Spring break training trip to Georgia.

Personal: Member of AMA, Wishmakers, and Zero2One

Starboard

Lyons Township High School

High School: Rowed for 3 years at the Chicago Rowing Foundation.

Novice Year (2022-2023): Raced the MN8+ at Redhawk Sprints (1st) and ICRI. Raced in the MN8+ at MACRA and ACRA.

Senior Year (2023-2024): Raced in the MV8+ at Music City. Raced in the MV8+ and MV4+ at Music City.

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year: A long discussion with Nolan about the optimal mêlée weapon, concluding that a horse was a strong option.

Senior Year: Playing hot potato with some teammates.

Personal: Minor in Molecular and Cellular Biology Member of Tau Sigma Transfer Student National Honors Society. Would love to work on a Pokémon game. He says: “I am the highest level Pokémon Go player on the team”.

Coxswain

University Laboratory High School

High School: 4 years of Cross Country and Track and Field, running the 3-mile in Cross Country and the 1600m in Track.

Freshman Year (2020-21): Coxed at the Oakridge Invitational in a Covid-shortened season. Placed 2nd in the Women’s Novice 4+.

Sophomore Year (2021-22): 2nd at Head of the Rock in the Collegiate WN4+.

Junior Year (2022-2023): Coxed the Women’s Collegiate 4+ at the Head of the Charles in October. Coxed the WV8+ at ICRI and Redhawk, placing 2nd and 1st, and raced in the MV8+ Class of ‘22 at ACRA.

Senior Year (2023-2024): Served as the Men’s Team Secretary. Coxed the WV8+ and MV8+ at Music City, taking bronze in the WV8+. Coxed the men’s collegiate coxed 4 Todd Tisdale at Head of the Charles, and the WV8+ at Bald Eagle.

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year: Racing in the WN4+ and ACRA training week.

Sophomore Year: Studying with teammates.

Junior Year: Racing HOCR and spending spring break in Georgia.

Personal: Enjoys running and swimming. Member and former Secretary-General (2022-2023) of Illinois Model United Nations and member of the Phi Alpha Theta History Society.

Starboard

Bartlett High School

High School: Played 4 years of baseball, 4 years of marching band.

Novice Year (2021-22): 1st place in the U23 500m at Crash-B’s. Raced in the MN8+ at Head of the Rock.

Sophomore Year (2022-2023): Raced in the MV8+ at Head of the Rock, Bald Eagle, and Redhawk (1st). Served as Men’s Team Captain. Raced in the MV8+ Class of ‘22 at ACRA.

Junior Year (2023-2024): Served as Men’s Team Captain. Raced in the MV8+ and M2- at Music City. Raced in the men’s collegiate coxed 4 Todd Tisdale at Head of the Charles. Raced in the M2- and MV8+ at Bald Eagle.

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year: Racing in bucket hats at Head of the Rock and going to the bass pro shop pyramid on the way home from spring break.

Sophomore Year: Having a cat in his hotel room at spring break.

Personal: Vice president of the Illini Cubers club. Plays trombone.