Crimson Heavyweight Breaks School Record

Senior heavyweight rower David Wakulich set a record for the fastest ever 2000 meter time for Harvard on Sunday at the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Regatta at Agganis Arena.

Wakulich, Harvard’s sole heavyweight representative, entered himself into the competition because he wanted to test himself and take advantage of his last chance to compete in the event while at Harvard.

Wakulich, grew up in St. Catharines, Ont., a rowing town, and picked up the sport in high school after a family friend and coach encouraged him.

After being injured in the beginning of his college career, Wakulich developed quickly in his sophomore spring, earning a spot in the first varsity boat that year.

“He’s stronger now than he’s been at any point,” coach Harry Parker said. “He’s also been very good rowing at home in Canada.”

Harvard doesn’t specifically train for this event, but Wakulich took the initiative to enter the race and better himself.

“It’s a neat venue—a lot of noise and a pretty energetic atmosphere,” said Wakulich of the event. “The noise boosts your performance. They might not be cheering for you, but you can pretend everyone is. It definitely is a confidence boost.”

This historic event brings 2000+ male and female coxswains, lightweight, and heavyweight rowers to Boston, ranging in age from 14 to 90+.

Prior to competing, rowers submit their latest 2k sprint times and are positioned based on time for their race. The top recorded times are grouped together in the front row of ergs, and Wakulich was competing there in the event’s final race of the day.

“[Wakulich was in] the honor row [where] the fastest people that everyone wants to watch sit,” junior rower Nick Jordan said.

“It’s helpful to initially sit down and see two huge guys beside me and think, ‘okay, I gotta pull hard,’” Wakulich added.

Wakulich was looking to test himself against his own time as well as the other best in the world, so he encouraged his good friend, Washington sophomore Conlin McCabe, with whom he rowed on the Canadian junior team, to enter. Wakulich wanted the competition to make him row faster, and he was aware of McCabe’s caliber and training. McCabe ended up winning the event with a time of 5:48.0.

Overall, Wakulich placed fifth out of about 250 rowers and third in the Under-23 division. His lightning speed of 5:56.9, just .1 seconds behind the 4th place finisher, was .9 faster than his previous time, making it a personal best and the fastest time for Harvard yet.

“He’s always been one of our leading members,” Harvard captain Ant Locke said. “He always manages to produce performances when it counts.”

“Dave is a very, very capable rower,” Parker continued. “He works very hard and he’s getting stronger every year. He did an outstanding bit of rowing on Sunday.”

Wakulich recorded the faster ever 2k time for Harvard Crew, beating the previous best by Malcolm Howard (5:57.8) in 2004, the year that Harvard won the National Championship in rowing. Howard went on to win Olympic Gold in the 8+ at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing for Canada.

Wakulich is looking into the future to perhaps follow in Howard’s footsteps. The Olympics has always been in the back of his mind as a goal and something to work toward.

“I’m starting to get pretty excited about the prospect of rowing for the Canadian national team,” Wakulich said. “I’m looking forward to U23’s this summer if I can stay healthy and not break anything.”

Knowing that someone else got a faster time on Sunday drives Wakulich to train harder and be faster.

“What this time means is that I still have to go a little faster,” he said. “The evidence is right there of the fellow who won, getting a time over and above any other college student in the nation.”

“It is somewhere I need to be if I want to perform at a world championship or Olympic level,” Wakulich said.

And competing at the Olympics is a “reasonable aspiration” for him, according to Parker.

“He could potentially compete at the international level,” Parker said. “He’s not very far away from it now.”

Coach Parker and Wakulich’s teammates commented on his lighthearted demeanor, which contrasts his 6’8’’, 214 lb frame.

“He’s an exceptional athlete giving just his size and physical capabilities, along with how coordinated he is,” Jordan said. “He has great physical gifts for the sport of rowing...He’s surprisingly goofy and easy to talk to for how intense and focused he is.”

“He’s an interesting fellow with a great sense of humor. He’s a real asset to our team,” Parker added. “He’s very promising.”

For now, Wakulich is focusing on the spring and summer season for Harvard.

“I want to do well here,” he said. “I want to win a National Championship for Harvard this year.”

As for his future: “I’d love to be rowing,” said Wakulich. He hopes to compete in Amsterdam for Canada, and hopefully make a boat for the Senior National Team. He is looking into moving to the west coast of Canada to Victoria to train for a living.

As for his new record?

“It’s an open invitation for any Harvard oarsmen, past and future, to go faster,” Wakulich said. “I won’t be content if that record stands for more than a year.”