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Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Official Athletics Website of the MIT Engineers

2021-22 MIT Men's Heavyweight Crew Roster

Ben Koenig

  • Height 6-3
  • Class Graduate Student
  • Hometown Bethesda, Md.
  • High School Walter Johnson

Biography

Accolades:
- NIRC All-Academic Team (2021-22)
- IRCA Scholar Athlete (2021-22)
- IRA All-Academic Team (2018-19, 2021-22)


2021-22 [COMPLETE BOATINGS]:
- Appeared in nine events, all as the #8 seat
- Finished first in the Collegiate 8+ at the Head of the Charles (10/23)
- Finished fourth in the Collegiate 8+ at the Head of the Fish (10/30)
- Finished third in the V8+ Grand Final at the New England Rowing Championship (4/30)
- Finished second in the V8+ Grand Final at the National Invitational Rowing Championship (5/8)
- Finished fourth in the V8+ Fourth Level Final at the IRA Championship (6/3)


2020-21
- Did not compete as the season was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic


2019-20 [COMPLETE BOATINGS]
- Appeared in two events
- Was the #8 seat of the Collegiate 8+ that finished first at the Head of the Charles (10/20)
- Was the #8 seat of the V8+ that finished second at the Head of the Fish (10/26)


2018-19: [COMPLETE BOATINGS]
- Appeared in eight events, six in the #8 seat
- Was the #4 seat of the V4+ that was fourth in the Grand Final at the IRA National Championship (5/11)
- Was the #8 seat of the Collegiate 8+ that finished third at the Head of the Charles (10/21)
- Was the #8 seat of the V8+ that was sixth in the Grand Final at the Dad Vail Regatta (5/11)


2017-18: [COMPLETE BOATINGS]
- Appeared in nine events, five as the #4 seat and three as the #2 seat of the V8
- Was the #4 seat of the V8 that finished fourth in the Petite Final at the Dad Vail Regatta (5/12)


Favorite Sports Memory:
- My favorite sports memory was winning the Head of the Charles in 2019. It's the biggest race of our fall season, and our victory was the culmination of a lot of hard work put in over many years by multiple classes of MIT Rowers. I'm really proud of the entire team for that accomplishment, and hope that we can build on that success in the future.


Favorite Moment as an MIT Student-Athlete:
- I love spending time with the team, whether it's on the water or off the water at social events. Some of my favorite memories with the team are at the dining halls for breakfast, in dorms for team dinners, or at all-you-can-eat sushi for lunch after Saturday practice. Being friends and spending time together helps us build morale and cohesion, which is important not only in having fun off the water but also when racing on the water.


Off the Water at MIT:
- Currently pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering
- Graduated from MIT in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering along with a minor and a concentration in French
- Working with the Deng Energy and Nanotechnology group on flame synthesized materials for biomedical sensing
- Conducted a research project with the Aerospace Controls Laboratory
- Researching the implementation of novel ocean path planning methods with the MIT Multidisciplinary Simulation, Estimation, and Assimilation Systems group
- Conducted an Office of Naval Research-sponsored internship at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NSWCCD) where he developed a concept design for a future unmanned naval craft
- Returned to NSWCCD under ONR sponsorship, where he designed and fabricated an autonomous swarming fleet of modular surface vehicles for a given set of mission requirements
- Employed at the MIT Aerospace Controls Laboratory for the physical integration of an autonomous perception system onto a ground vehicle designed to operate with or without human input
- 2021 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
- 2021 MIT Mechanical Engineering Department Carl G. Sontheimer Prize for Creativity and Innovation in Design
- 2021 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Graduate Scholarship
- 2020 MIT MechE Undergraduate Research and Innovation Scholar
- 2020 MIT Mechanical Engineering Research Exposition Award for Runner-up to First Place Presenter
- 2020 Office of Naval Research Naval Horizons Stipend Winner
- MIT Mechanical Engineering Department 2020 AMP Inc. Award for Outstanding Performance in Course 2.002
- MIT Mechanical Engineering Department 2019 Ernest Cravalho Award for Outstanding Performance in Thermal Fluids Engineering
- American Society of Naval Engineers Tidewater Section Admiral David Donohue Scholarship (2019, 2020, 2021)


High School:
- Was a member of the crew team at Walter Johnson High School
- Washington Post Spring All-Met Boys Rowing first team (2017), honorable mention (2016)
- Walter Johnson Spring 2017 Most Valuable Rower
- Finished second in the Senior 4+ at the 2016 Stotesbury Cup
- Was third in the Junior 4+ at the 2015 Stotesbury Cup
- Placed third in the Varsity 4+ at the 2016 and 2017 SRAA Nationals
- Recipient of Walter Johnson Awards in Science (2016), Physics (2017), and English (2017)


Club:
- TBC Racing
- Second in the U17 4+ and 8+ at the 2015 Club Nationals
- Second in the U19 8+ at the 2016 Canadian Henley
- Sixth in the U19 4+ and 8+ at the 2016 Club Nationals
- 15th in the Youth 8+ at the 2016 Head of the Charles

Historical Player Information

  • 2017-18First Year

    6'3"
  • 2018-19Sophomore

    6'3"
  • 2019-20Junior

    6'3"
  • 2020-21Senior

    6'3"
  • 2021-22Graduate Student

    6'3"