Brian Volpenhein rowed against the world’s best this weekend and finished eighth in an international rowing competition. Volpenhein, a member of the Ohio State Men’s Crew Club Team, competed in the World Indoor Rowing Championship held in Boston.Volpenhein, a junior majoring in philosophy, said once a year the best and strongest rowers in the world gather in Boston to compete indoors to keep in shape for the outdoor rowing season. ‘It was exciting to compete in the race and to see what the best rowers in the world were like,’ Volpenhein said.Volpenhein rowed the 2000-meter race in 5 minutes and 55 seconds, ranking him eighth overall and 4th in the collegiate division, he said.’I didn’t expect to go that fast,’ Volpenhein said. ‘You never know how far you can push your body and go that fast.’It was an excellent experience to row in the championship and to place in the top ten, he said.’It made me a lot faster and gave me more confidence to bring back to the team,’ Volpenhein said.Both Olympic and collegiate rowers use this event as a training tool for year round competition, especially during the winter months, when the rivers and lakes used for rowing are frozen, said Eric Leeder, president of the OSU Men’s Crew Club Team.Volpenhein qualified for the Boston competition by rowing in a satellite qualifier in Cincinnati on Feb. 2. A fast time was needed to advance to Boston, and Volpenhein accomplished the set time. He managed to finish the 2,000-meters in 6 minutes 1 second.Volpenhein’s time was the fastest in the qualifying race and earned him free airfare to the Boston race, the only person to receive such a prize.The OSU Men’s Crew Club Team’s first regatta is the Big Ten Championships held in Indianapolis on April 12.