The Full Story

It is of astronomical coincidence that the four of us attended a college of less than 2000 students in Upstate New York together. While we are not in accord on what led us there, we know that the highly successful rowing program kept us there. Surrounded by forty like-minded individuals, the physical torment and mental beating that rowing at a high level affords was always manageable together. The four of us soon found a common thread in how we approached challenges and qualified the lessons that obstacles presented. We derived, from experience, that actively chasing obstacles together brought us closer to who we wanted to be as individuals and as a community.

The transformational experiences that we went through in those four years brought us to recognize the community which surrounded us and shaped us into the hardworking and dedicated people we are today. In order to promote the collective pursuit of a better version of ourselves and our communities, Team Seneca Navy has chosen to compete in the World's Toughest Row 2025. We are committed to pushing boundaries of what we consider achievable so that we can provide the youths of our respective communities the resources they need to foster leadership, personal growth, and character development.

Meet The Rowers

David Ranney

Hometown:

Cleveland OH, USA

About

Growing up on the shores of Lake Erie, David has always been drawn to the water. After spending time working as a deckhand on a Great Lakes freighter in 2020, he tested for his 100 Ton USCG Master's License and went on to obtain a Master's of Science in Maritime Business Management in 2023. Though David has been on hiatus from formal rowing since graduating from Hobart College in 2021, his non-rowing endurance feats include half a dozen marathons as well as a self-executed ironman-distance (140.6 miles) triathlon. David works as a vessel operations specialist and spends much of his free time sailing and studying seamanship and navigation.

What are you most looking forward to during the row?

"I'm most looking forward to the problems we will encounter at sea—physical, equipment, weather—and using our individual and collective skillsets to address them."

About

Perhaps more so than any of his teammates, Moritz has dedicated much of his life to the sport of rowing as a means to reach his personal and professional goals. While at Hobart College, Mo made the rowing team's top boat every year. With a keen comprehension of entrepeneurship, he launched FibrWorks, a firm that focuses on hemp-based building materials. The enterprise won Moritz and his partners The Pitch, an annual Hobart College competition. After graduating from Hobart with a degree in Economics, Moritz began work as an Account Manager while further pursuing his rowing goals. Moritz has completed several marathon and ultra-endurance challenges, including a 62 mile running race. His is currently training at the Olympic Training Center in Hamburg to make the German national rowing team in 2024.

What are you most looking forward to during the row?

"I'm looking forward to the camaraderie it takes to complete this challenge and all the people coming together to make it happen. Also as a lightweight rower, I can't wait to bulk up before the race."

Moritz Marchart

Hometown:

Stuttgart, Germany

Anthony Carella

Hometown:

Vaughan ON, Canada

About

A hockey and lacrosse player by trade, Anthony was the latest member of the team to step into the competitive rowing world. He walked onto Hobart College's team in 2018 without ever having taken a stroke. But, Tony's determination and dedication formed a solid base from which he quickly catapulted through the ranks. By his junior year, Anthony was one of the fastest individuals on the team and, as a senior in 2022, he earned his spot in the program's top boat. After wrapping up at Hobart College with a degree in environmental studies, Tony joined the University of Victoria's rowing team. There, he won a silver medal at Canadian University National Championships, and led the team's second boat to a come-from-behind win in the historic Brown Cup. In 2024, Tony will graduate with a degree in Ecological Restoration.

What are you most looking forward to during the row?

"I am looking forward to testing my limits alongside three great friends, and hearing stories and ideas that only a 3,000 mile ocean row could get out of someone. Also would love to see some whales up close and personal!"

About

The youngest in the group, Ryan is a current Senior at Hobart College. In his last competitive season with the Statesmen, Ryan will be serving the squad as team co-captain and will graduate in 2024 with a degree in economics and a minor in international relations. Ryan is no stranger to endurance athletics. While studying abroad in 2022, Ryan ran the Athens Marathon in Greece. Among other long-distance runs, Ryan completed a competition in which he ran 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours straight. Ryan is particularly known around campus for his affinity for cold water. Even in the most frigid winter months, Ryan can be found at the shores of Seneca Lake, chipping through the ice and wading out into the deep for a morning ice bath.