CHERRY HILL, N.J. – For the second straight year, the Boston University lightweight rowing program captured the Lightweight Double IRA national championship at the 2025 IRA National Championship Regatta on Sunday, June 1 on the Cooper River.
 
Juniors Kylie Lough and Catherine Clark earned the gold medal in the Lightweight Double, the fifth in program history. As a team, BU finished third in team points for the second consecutive spring. The Terrier Lightweight 4+ and 8+ each placed fourth in the Grand Finals.
 
Racing conditions remained challenging with choppy water, though there were fewer whitecaps compared to Saturday. Wind gusts reached 26 miles per hour with a cross-tailwind continuing through the course.
 
Lough (bow) and Clark (stroke) started the day in the Lightweight Double. The duo engaged in a back-and-forth battle with Wisconsin in the lane beside them. BU regained its advantage in the second half of the race and sprinted in the final meters to cross the line in 7:37.350, just under a second in front of the Badgers.
 
The Terriers add to their Lightweight Double gold medals from 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2024. Clark earned her first IRA gold medal in her first career appearance at the regatta. With her second consecutive gold medal, Lough is the second Terrier in program history to notch two national championships in the Double, joining Grace Beery from 2019 and 2021.
 
BU's Lightweight 4+, coxed by Heather Shinn and stroked by Cece Mason, was next in the Grand Final. Battling Harvard-Radcliffe for the majority of the piece for third, the final strokes came down to a photo finish. The Terriers missed the podium by fifteen-hundredths of a second, placing fourth in a time of 7:18.970. Princeton and MIT respectively captured the top two spots.
 
The Terrier Lightweight 8+, coxed by Mayberry Mark and stroked by Mia Seibert, capped the season in the Grand Final. BU would complete the course in 6:37.960 to finish fourth in the nation, leading Wisconsin by nearly three seconds while trailing bronze medalist Georgetown. Princeton and Radcliffe were first and second, respectively.
 
The Tigers successfully defended their team national championship, while Radcliffe was the runner-up with two more points than BU. Georgetown trailed the Terriers by five points in fourth place overall.
 
Mark and Shinn joined classmates Zoey Goodness, Savanna Jacovini and Lulu Smith in competing in their final collegiate regatta over the weekend. Completing its second year under head coach Mary Foster, BU now turns the page to summer training and the fall semester.
 
RESULTS
Lightweight 2x Grand Final

1. BU – 7:37.350
2. Wisconsin – 7:38.310
3. MIT – 7:40.660
4. Stanford – 7:49.470
5. Georgetown – 7:54.660
6. Princeton – 7:57.210

Lightweight 4+ Grand Final

1. Princeton – 7:14.320
2. MIT – 7:15.220
3. Harvard-Radcliffe – 7:18.820
4. BU – 7:18.970
5. Wisconsin – 7:25.960
6. Georgetown – 7:40.880
7. Stanford – 7:41.920

Lightweight 8+ Grand Final

1. Princeton – 6:19.320
2. Harvard-Radcliffe – 6:22.680
3. Georgetown – 6:29.900
4. BU – 6:37.960
5. Wisconsin – 6:40.500
6. Stanford – 6:41.160

 
TEAM POINTS
1. Princeton - 67 points
2. Harvard-Radcliffe - 59
3. BU - 57
4. Georgetown - 52
5. Wisconsin - 51
6. Stanford - 41
7. MIT - 32
8. Gordon - 5
 
LINEUPS
Lightweight 2x
Bow: Kylie Lough
Stroke: Catherine Clark
 
Lightweight 4+
Cox: Heather Shinn
Bow: Serena Jabre
2: Rosa Beckert
3: Carly Milosevic
Stroke: Cece Mason
 
Lightweight 8+
Bow: Hannah Clark
2: Savanna Jacovini
3: Caroline Burchette
4: Maya Popper
5: Ela Ersan
6: Zoey Goodness
7: Lulu Smith
Stroke: Mia Seibert
Cox: Mayberry Mark