La Salle rowing team set for ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ to compete in the Henley Regatta

For the first time in program history, the La Salle men’s rowing team will appear in the Henley Royal Regatta from July 2-7 in Henley-on-Thames, England.

The Henley Regatta, set for its 185th installment on the River Thames, features the world’s top rowers and is widely considered the most esteemed event on the sport’s calendar. This year’s edition has 772 entries from 27 nations and will feature 409 races, all of which are records for the event.

Making history of their own, the Explorers have reached the pinnacle of the sport following a season in which three boats earned a national ranking — another first for the program. La Salle’s Varsity 8+ rowed to 17th place at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships earlier this month, while the second Varsity 8+ and the Varsity 4+ each finished 20th.

“The team has just been fantastic,” said Ivo Krakic, the La Salle coach and director of rowing. “The guys have all stepped up individually and they see the dream and the passion that we all bring, and it’s just a fun environment to be a part of.”

There was no guarantee La Salle’s bid for Henley would be accepted, as the regatta’s committee of management uses a selective process to determine which crews are allowed to qualify.

While awaiting the decision, the Explorers raised $75,000 to pay for the estimated cost of the trip. The community responded — 171 donors combined to clear the $75,000 mark last weekend.

Junior rower Nick O’Neill said he was surprised La Salle raised enough money, and credits Krakic.

“[Krakic] has been doing so much to fundraise for us,” O’Neill said. “Behind the scenes he’s been going day and night, losing sleep, really just eating, drinking, and sleeping La Salle men’s rowing, trying to get us to go to Henley.”

Krakic credited the team’s performance for the fundraising success.

“My job is to really just go and ask,” Krakic said. “I think people see the story, the potential that the team has from them racing and doing well, and they’re stepping up big time to help us do things that we honestly never dreamed of doing.”

La Salle is entered in the regatta’s two student crew competitions — the Temple Challenge Cup and the Prince Albert Challenge Cup. The Explorers will use the four fastest rowers from their Varsity 8+ in the Prince Albert Challenge Cup, while the other four rowers in the Varsity 8+ will combine with half of the second Varsity 8+ to compete in the Temple Challenge Cup.

The Temple Challenge Cup has 72 crews and will trim to 32 after the qualifying races. The Prince Albert Challenge Cup has just 17 entries, of which 16 will qualify. La Salle has yet to find out whether it will need to participate in the qualifying races.

“We’re super stoked — it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” O’Neill said. “Couldn’t ask for a better chance to go show ourselves again, prove ourselves that we have what it takes to compete with some of the top talent.”

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Princeton, Cornell, and Harvard will join La Salle as American entrants, but much of the field is international. This will be the most competitive event in which this La Salle team has rowed. But the Explorers have competed against ranked opponents this season, including No. 1 California and No. 8 Stanford at the Pac-12 Invitational in April.

“The USA currently has the best collegiate teams in the world,” Krakic said. “Having that domestic experience racing those teams definitely helps us going internationally … to just know what kind of level you need to be at to be competitive at those races.”

After one season as an assistant, Krakic — a native of Croatia and former Drexel rower — stepped into his role as head coach in 2023 and has overseen the most successful two-year run in La Salle history. That period includes several gold medals, wins over No. 16 Drexel and No. 20 Oregon State, and four athletes honored as Empacher-IRCA All-Americans.

O’Neill, a two-time All-American honorable mention, wanted to transfer after a freshman season in which the team went through two coaches. But it only took a week with Krakic to change his mind.

“[Krakic] has been awesome,” O’Neill said. “We’ll listen to everything he says and trust him with everything he says. He just brings so much knowledge … no one thinks twice about what he says because it’s been working so well for us.”

The La Salle staff has been named a finalist for the IRCA Division I Coaching Staff of the Year in back-to-back seasons. As the staff prepares the team for the head-to-head, single-elimination style that Henley uses, Krakic is calling on his experience at the regatta from his Drexel days to keep the team focused.

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“Pass one round, it’s a success,” Krakic said. “And then from there we’re going to build, because I genuinely think we have a huge amount of speed and real potential to advance.”

Like every other crew at Henley, La Salle has plans on making a deep run. But Krakic already knows the trip will be groundbreaking for the program.

“Just them being there, getting the experience — especially being the first team in La Salle history to go — they’re writing the history of the school,” Krakic said. “It’s just special to have that experience for them.”