Kuncak and Paynter Make Program History as Men's Rowing Finishes Third at FIRA Championships

4/2/2022 3:54:00 PM | By: Kyrin Mayfield | k_mayfield97

SARASOTA, Fla. - It was a successful day on the water for the Embry-Riddle men's rowing team as the Eagles won a race and grabbed silver in the other four at the Florida Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships held at Nathan Benderson Park. Overall, the men finished in third with 52 total points, a big improvement from 28.5 points in 2021. Rollins accumulated the most points (78.25) to finish first while Stetson (69.5) grabbed second.

An early 8:42 a.m. start began the competition for the men with the Varsity 8 race. Mason Anderson, Isaac Dunavant, Frederic Knecht, Vaclav Kuncak, Alec Palmer (coxswain), Blake Paynter, Ognjen Srbinovic, Matthew Talty, and Joshua Thornburgh finished second (6:10.89) just eight seconds behind Stetson but ahead of Rollins, Florida, and UCF.

In the last race of the morning session, the Eagles' Varsity 2 boat of Kuncak and Paynter rowed their way into the Embry-Riddle record books with a program-best time of 7:05.03 to win by five seconds against Stetson, Florida, and Rollins.

The afternoon session got underway with the Varsity 1 race. Knecht clocked in at 7:41.11 to finish second ahead of Stetson and Rollins.

Later on, M. Anderson, Dunavant, Knecht, Alexis Mathis (coxswain), and Thornburgh brough the Eagles' Varsity 4 'B' boat home in second (7:16.48) behind Stetson but ahead of Florida.

The men concluded the day of racing with a runner-up finish in Varsity 4 as Kuncak, Palmer (coxswain), Paynter, Srbinovic, and Talty stopped the clock at 6:45.80.

Embry-Riddle moves from FIRA to SIRA as the Eagles head to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships on April 15.

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