It’s been a banner week for the Bates College men’s rowing team, even with the Bobcats’ boats out of the water.
On Tuesday, rising seniors Charlie Berman and Isaac Levinger were named first-team All-Americans by the Intercollegiate Rowing Coaches Association. Then on Wednesday, the IRCA announced Bates assistant coaches Carly Abarbanel and Cian Noone as their Division 3 Staff of the Year.
Berman and Levinger manned the seven and six seats, respectively, for Bates’ first varsity eight team, which won a bronze medal in the Division 3 race at the IRA National Championship Regatta.
In order to be named an All-American by the IRCA, rowers and coxswains must meet the following criteria:
• The student-athlete must meet all eligibility rules defined by their institution.
• The student must have raced in their team’s varsity boat for the current spring racing season.
• The student-athlete must be nominated by their institution.
• The head coach of the student athlete’s institution must be in good standing with the IRCA.
The IRCA Board of Directors select nominees based on the following criteria:
• Strength of finish of the institution’s varsity boat.
• Nomination rank within institution.
• Coach’s comments, individual achievements, and erg score.
It’s the second post-season award for Berman, who was also named to the All-NESCAC second team.
Bates head coach Peter Steenstra nominated Abarbanel and Noone for the D3 Staff of the Year Award, which “recognizes the outstanding work done by the assistant coach(es), volunteer coach(es), boatmen, etc. from each division in service to their team and in support of the head coach,” according to the IRCA.
Noone is the men’s team’s full-time assistant, and Abarbanel holds the same role for the women’s team, but both coaches help each team during the postseason regattas.
“As the only program at the NCAA and the IRA championships that share a head coach, a great deal of responsibility and pressure falls on these two outstanding assistants,” Steenstra said in a Bates College press release announcing the award. “With a staff of only three, and two programs totaling 80-plus athletes, a great deal of hats are worn by both of them. One obstacle in particular that stands out is that the men’s team is without their head coach for the week leading up to the IRA. While I’m struggling to be the head coach for two teams simultaneously (or absently), Cian and Carly are working well together while being a full-time assistant for their team and a part-time assistant for the other.”
FALLON GARNERS HONOR FOR HIS GLOVE
Bates baseball graduate Drew Fallon earned All-Region defensive honors by the American Baseball Coaches Association on Thursday.
Fallon, a right fielder for the Bobcats this season, was named to the NCAA Division III Region 1 Defensive team by the ABCA.
The Mansfield, Massachusetts, native started all 31 games for Bates this season, committing just two errors while also recording two outfield assists.
“Drew played a really strong right field for us, and he did it for four years,” Bates head coach Jon Martin said in a Bates press release, while also adding that he rates Fallon’s arm strength as excellent and his range as above average.
BATES MEN’S LACROSSE ADDS TO STAFF
Bates men’s lacrosse coach Dan Annino has made an addition to his coaching staff following his first season at the helm of the program.
Annino announced Thursday that Kieran McGovern has been named an assistant coach for the 2024 season, joining fellow assistant Andrew Smistad.
McGovern was an All-American player at Union College, including leading the Dutchmen to the NCAA Division III national championship game against Rochester Institute of Technology in 2022.
“I am incredibly excited to welcome Coach McGovern to Bates,” Annino said in a college press release. “Kieran has an infectious energy, enthusiasm and passion for the game that will serve him well in his new career. Kieran also brings to Lewiston the wealth of knowledge he’s accumulated in bringing a program to the biggest stage in our sport, not just as an All-American caliber student-athlete, but also as a leader and a ‘coach on the field.’ We couldn’t be more fortunate to have him join our program.”
McGovern said in the press release that he is “extremely grateful for the opportunity to join the Bates family.”
“I am excited to work alongside Coach Annino and Coach Smistad towards creating a winning culture, and I look forward to developing relationships with the student-athletes and alumni that represent this program at the highest level,” McGovern added.
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