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.