Men's Rowing | June 20, 2023

PHILADELPHIA — The La Salle men's rowing team has been nominated for three major awards by the Intercollegiate Rowing Coaches Association, the organization announced Monday.
 
The Explorers have been selected as finalists for the Comeback Team of the Year, Division I Coach of the Year, and Division I Staff of the Year awards.
 
The Comeback Team of the Year honor is given to a team that has shown significant improvement with their perseverance, determination and dedication. The Division I Coach of the Year award is given to the coach that demonstrates excellence in his or her ability to develop both individual and team performance while cultivating an environment that is built on fairness, respect, mentorship, and upholding the values of the IRCA and men's collegiate rowing. The Division I Staff of the Year is given to the assistant coach(es), volunteer coach(es), boatmen, etc. that demonstrate excellence in coaching, recruiting, commitment to their program, student-athletes, and head coach while upholding the values of the IRCA and men's collegiate rowing.
 
The Explorers were chosen as a finalist for the Comeback Team of the Year after having a historic spring season in which they had both their Varsity 8+ and 2^nd Varsity 8+ boats finish ranked in the top 20 in the country for the first time in program history. The 2V8 concluded the season as the 16th-ranked team in the country after it placed fourth in the C final at the IRA National Championship in a time of 6:02.88. As for the V8, it finished the season ranked 18^th after it placed sixth in the C final at the IRA National Championship in a time of 5:55.84.
 
Head coach Ivo Krakic is a finalist for the Coach of the Year award after taking the Explorers to new heights in his first season as head coach. Krakic not only guided the V8 and 2V8 boats to their highest national rankings ever in program history, but he also helped them combine for two gold medals, five silver medals, three bronze medals and one fourth-place finish this spring.
 
The Explorers' coaching staff, which includes Krakic, assistant coach Jimmy McInerney, assistant coach Jack Higgins, and director of operations Jenny White, is a finalist for the Staff of the Year award after guiding the team to incredible success on the water and in the classroom. Along with helping the Explorers earn their 11 top-four finishes this season, the coaching staff saw the Explorers log 305 hours of community service throughout the academic year and post a 3.10 GPA in the spring semester.