UC alum making historic waves
January 23, 2026
Christopher Bak is a UC Lindner alum making history. His gold at the 2025 World Championships was his third win and fifth time medaling overall. Bak’s achievements put him in the running for World Rowing’s Men’s Crew of the Year, a competitive award with only three nominees across the globe. Winners will be announced at the World Rowing Awards hosted at Switzerland’s Olympic Museum on Jan. 24. Not only is Bak in the running, but his coach, a UC faculty member, is nominated as well. Mark Oria, assistant professor of research at the UC College of Medicine, is one of four finalists for World Rowing’s Coach of the Year. The two have been working together since Oria joined the coaching team at UC back in 2017.