PRINCETON, N.J. - It was a historic day for the Catholic University men's rowing team Friday as it competed in the International Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships Regatta for the first time in program history.

Held on Mercer Lake in Princeton, N.J., the 119th version of the regatta represents the national championships for collegiate rowing

The Catholic varsity four grabbed a third-place finish in the D semifinal. Competing against the Division I Penn and Cornell, the Cardinals crossed the line with a time of 6:43.228, less than three seconds off first place. With a time of 6:40.227, Penn edged Cornell to win the semifinal.

Catholic rowed against 24 other schools in the preliminary round which was conducted in a time trial format. The top 18 times qualified for the A, B and C finals with the remaining teams qualifying for the D and E finals.

The Cardinals produced a time of 6:32.777 to earn a spot into the D finals, finishing ahead of both Tufts and Marist.

Catholic returns to action Saturday in the varsity four fourth level final which will put the Cardinals against Cornell, Drexel, Marietta, Marist, Penn and Tufts. The race is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.

Boatings

Varsity Four: Arthur Gange (coxswain), Declan Waters (stroke), Nathan Lovell (3), David Fritz (2), Ryan McGann (bow)