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Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Official Athletics Website of the MIT Engineers
MIT

2026-27 MIT Men's Heavyweight Crew Roster

Declan Leighton

  • Height 6-3
  • Class First Year
  • Hometown Arlington, Va.
  • High School Yorktown
  • Major Nuclear Science and Engineering

Biography

Before MIT:
  • Attended Yorktown High School and graduated in 2026
  • Was a three-time Virginia state rowing champion athlete in the Freshman 8+ in 2023 and the 1V Varsity 8+ in 2025 and 2026
  • Won the bronze at SRAA Nationals in 2026, for the first time in Yorktown Men's history
  • Finished 4th at the Stotesbury Cup in 2026, the highest Yorktown Men's 1V 8+ has placed at the regatta
Personal: 
  • Australian-American born in Washington, DC
  • Has lived in the UK and Mexico
  • Fluent in Spanish
  • Has a younger sister who is following his rowing footsteps
  • Hobbies include playing the guitar, building liquid-fueled rocket engines, and playing with plasma in a self-designed vacuum chamber
Why MIT?
  • "MIT has a long history of pushing technology forward, and I want to add to that scientific legacy, while still being able to row with a D1 rowing team."