Novice Men

Give a warm welcome to our 2024-2025 novices!

Aaditya Haridas

Coxswain

Palatine, IL

5’6”

Freshman - Electrical Engineering

Fremd High School

High School: Track and field

Novice Year (2023-2024):

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year:

Personal: Member of Illini Solar Car. Enjoys grappling, hiking, and skateboarding.

Andrew Pleiman — Men's Team Treasurer (2025-2026)

Port/Starboard

Rogers, AR

6’0”

Sophomore - Computer Science + Astronomy

Haas Hall Academy at the Lane

Novice Year (2023-2024):

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year:

Personal: Also of MATRIX (Illini Math Club), WPGU student-run radio station, and the Fashion Network. He enjoys sewing, photography, and astronomy. He says, “I’m in the top 500 of Beyoncé listeners on Spotify.”

Bakry Hisham

Port/Starboard

Cairo, Egypt

5’8”

Junior - Computer Engineering

Modern English School Cairo

High School: Club soccer

Novice Year (2023-2024):

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year:

Personal: He enjoys cycling and playing soccer. Also plays the guitar.

Ethan Vogel

Port

Evanston, IL

6’1”

Freshman - History and German

Evanston Township High School

High School: Two years of rowing

Novice Year (2024-2025):

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year:

Personal: Has an internship with a law firm and part of the chess team. He says, “I have three dogs and two cats.”

Jack Johnston

Port

Galatia, IL

6’4”

Senior - Political Science

Galatia High School

Novice Year (2024-2025):

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year:

Personal: Part of the Social Gaming Club. Enjoys hiking, cooking, and reading. He says, “I accidentally swam with dolphins once.”

Saarthak Jain

Port/Starboard

New Delhi, India

5’6”

Freshman - Mechanical Engineering

Modern School Vasant Vihar

Novice Year (2023-2024):

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year:

Personal: Member of Illini Solar Decathlon. He really enjoys listening to music, especially pop and alternative. He’ll watch any and every TV show and movie. Also likes making pasta.

Matthew Bermeo — Men's Team Secretary (2025-2026)

Port

Chicago, IL

5’11”

Freshman - Civil Engineering

St. Ignatius College Prep

High School: Rowed for four years for St. Ignatius.

Novice Year (2023-2024):

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year:

Personal: Enjoys napping and listening to Drake. He says, “I think there’s nothing better than a hot tub and cracking a few cold ginger ales with the boys.”

Reese Polito

Port

Medinah, IL

6’1”

Freshman - Undeclared

Lake Park High School

High School: Played tennis and volleyball.

Novice Year (2023-2024): Raced in the novice men’s eight at Head of the Rock and Bald Eagle. Also raced in the MN4+ in Music City.

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year: Getting to hangout with all his pals on spring break.

Personal: Loves hiking, fishing, and traveling. Member of Illini Fighting Hunger. Works as a camp counselor. He has three labradoodles.

Santiago Sanchez Castillo

Port/Starboard

Champaign, IL

5’11”

Freshman - Hospitality Management

Unity High School

High School: Soccer, wrestling

Novice Year (2023-2024):

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year: Seeing the sunrise at the lake for the first time

Personal: Member of Illini Boxing, barbell, forensics, campus band, and Film Score Orchestra. He says, “I love music.”

Sean Willuweit — Men's Team Captain (2025-2026)

Starboard

Chicago, IL

6’2”

Freshman - History

Lane Tech High School

High School: Three years of rowing with Chicago Rowing Foundation. Four time 3V Midwest champion with CRF.

Novice Year (2023-2024): Head of The Rock - Varsity 8+, Music City Head Race 1st Novice 4+, Bald Eagle 1st and 2nd Novice 8’s

Favorite Memories:

Novice Year: Getting to know the team over spring break and spending 5 days at Clinton Lake attempting to put in the dock.

Personal: He was in the Boy Scouts, earning the rank of Eagle Scout. Also works as a Mountain Biking Instructor at an overnight Scout Camp in Michigan. Member of Phi Alpha Theta, a history honor society. His favorite food is a Dunkin blueberry muffin and he loves doing site work.