Lightweight Rowing Caps First Day at IRA National Championship Regatta

Saturday, May 30

Gold River, CA / Lake Natoma

8 AM

Boston University

IRA Championship

Photo of the BU Lightweight 4+ racing at the 2026 IRA National Championship Regatta.

Photo by: Stockton Photo

Lightweight Rowing Caps First Day at IRA National Championship Regatta

May 30, 2026 | Women's Lightweight Rowing

Results

GOLD RIVER, Calif. – All three crews from the Boston University lightweight rowing program are off to the Grand Finals after the first day of the IRA National Championship Regatta on Saturday (May 30) at Lake Natoma.

BU's Lightweight Double and 4+ finished first in their respective heats while the Lightweight 8+ was second only to Princeton. All the boats posted top-three times among the entire field.

Calm waters, minimal wind and clear skies greeted rowers in the morning as temperatures climbed past 70 degrees as the morning waned.

BU's Lightweight Double, featuring Emilia Vukasinovic in the bow seat and Catherine Clark in the stroke seat, ignited the day with a win in a time of 7:49.71. The Terriers reached open water before the 500-meter mark and fended off runner-up Princeton, who finished 7.42 seconds behind.

The Terrier Lightweight 4+, coxed by Lylah Nag and stroked by Cece Mason, also established open water in the early going with Harvard-Radcliffe attempting a challenge. BU went wire-to-wire for the victory in 7:37.31 while Radcliffe placed second 7.1 seconds later.

In the Lightweight 8+, coxed by Mira Saldanha and stroked by Rosa Beckert, BU held serve early in Lane 2 with Princeton off the port side. The Tigers gradually increased their margin to a deck-length advantage with 500 meters to go, but the Terriers gained separation from MIT and Sacred Heart in third and fourth, crossing the line in 6:50.58 to advance to the Grand Final.

BU seeks its first team national title on Sunday (May 31). The Lightweight Double vies for its third-consecutive gold medal to ignite the competition at 8:08 a.m.

RESULTS
Lightweight Double
Heat 1

BU – 7:49.71
Princeton – 7:57.13
MIT – 8:02.18
Gordon – 8:04.61

Lightweight 4+
Heat 2

BU – 7:37.31
Radcliffe – 7:44.41
Stanford – 7:55.29
Georgetown – 7:58.96

Lightweight 8+
Heat 1

Princeton – 6:44.36
BU – 6:50.58
MIT – 7:02.22
Sacred Heart – 7:22.17

RACE SCHEDULE (MAY 31)

8:08 a.m. PT – Lightweight Double Grand Final
- Lane 1 vs. Radcliffe, Princeton, Wisconsin, MIT, Stanford
8:32 a.m. PT – Lightweight 4+ Grand Final
- Lane 1 vs. Princeton, Radcliffe, Wisconsin, Stanford, MIT
10:38 a.m. PT – Lightweight 8+ Grand Final
- Lane 3 vs. Princeton, Radcliffe, Stanford, MIT, Georgetown