BOYS & GIRLS BRING HOME GOLD & SILVER from MD Championships!
Maryland High School Rowing Championships
Sunday, May 1, 2011 in Chestertown, MD
Varsity Boys Win Gold & Silver; Varsity Girls, Freshman Girls & Freshman Boys Win Silver!
The Barons treated fans to a spectacular day of racing at Sunday's Maryland Championship Regatta, held this year in historic Chestertown, on the picturesque Chester River.
After a false start, the Boys Varsity 8 never lost their focus, beating Whitman, St. Paul's, Walter Johnson and DeMatha to win gold. In this mighty boat were: Matt Speck (cox), Erik Holmvik (stroke), Michael Colella, Harry Holroyd, Sam Weiner, Nick van der Vink, Matt Dutko, Adam Schlesinger, and Greg Mariuzza.
The Girls Varsity 8 raced twice, first in a heat of five boats where they powered their way into first place, thus qualifying for the last finals race of the day, in which they came in fewer than 8 seconds behind Whitman and well ahead of the rest of the pack, to win silver. In this boat were: Zena Wolf (cox), Sofia Arend (stroke), Lizzie Hook, Katie Sampson, Amanda Litty, Abby McIntosh, Charlotte Myers, Naomi Balodemas, and Erin Walk.
The Boys Varsity 2nd 8 also won silver in a thrilling close final race. Whitman was in the lead by a couple of boat-lengths, and the Barons caught up in an exciting sprint to the finish in which they finished second by little more than a bow ball. Will Smith (cox), Shray Mittal (stroke), Sam Murphy, Rohan Mittal, Trevor Wind, Ian Weaver, Nate Hodge, Joel Rosenblum, and Alex Lallas are all looking forward to facing Whitman again at WMIRA Championships in 2 weeks.
Adding to an afternoon of exhilarating finals, the Girls 2nd Varsity 8 also won silver, coming from behind to power through 4 boats, one after another in the final 500 meters of the race. Just before the finish line, they pulled in front of Whitman, to finish second behind another Whitman boat. Earlier, the girls had raced in a qualifying heat in which they came in second, being sure to save their energy for this final race. In this boat were: Maddy Turner (cox), Margaux Carle (stroke), Kate LaFranchi, Tamsin Bradbury, Sabina Gudmundsson, Julia Vazquez, Ruby Smith, Gyl Weisenfeld, and India Scribner.
The Boys Freshmen Eight rowed in a dual with Whitman. Though Whitman won, these freshmen showed real improvement and were able to keep their strokes long and strong to close the gap. Racing in a new all freshman line-up for this boat were: Nico Judge (cox), Mitchell Broadwater (stroke), Nolan Petty, Diego Wahl, David Loungani, Aidan LaPierre, Peter Murphy, Jeremy Lartigue, and Theo Montgomery.
The Girls Freshmen Eight got off to a great start and held the lead in their race against Whitman and Roland Park Country School until the last 500 meters, when Whitman was able to sprint into first place. In this boat were: Phoebe Mejia (cox), Lexi Theiss (stroke), Vivian Vasquez, Caitlin Beakes, McKenzie Zellner, Molly Gibson, Jessica Smith, Natalie Rogers, and Rachel Dick.
The Girls Varsity also competed in two fours that had never before raced together. Though neither boat qualified for the finals, both pulled their hardest against teams that undoubtedly had more experience in fours racing. In the Girls Varsity Four were: Kate Lester (cox), Kate Waldmann (stroke), Emma Dauster, Taylor Joseph, and Rachel Brocker. In the Girls 2nd Varsity Four were: Elaina Gerrety(cox), Gena Bunker, Naomi Smith, Jacqueline Whitford, and Katharine Smith.
The Fours competition was tough in this regatta, and the Varsity and Novice Boys also rowed well, but were unable to get past their heats. In the Boys 2nd Varsity Four were: Alex Sax (cox), Alex Loomis, Fred Johnson, Matt Whitstock, & Joaquin Rodriguez. The Boys Novice Four had Nico Judge (cox), Matt Baer, Mishel Kisi, Srikanta Mehta, and Oliver Jenkins. They got off to a great start and were in first place until they caught a boat-halting crab—every rower's nightmare. They recovered well and still managed to beat one DeMatha boat by open water.
The other 13 schools competing in this regatta were: Bryn Mawr, DeMatha, Elizabeth Seton HS, Gunston Day School, Holton Arms, Institute of Notre Dame, Montgomery Blair, Notre Dame Prep, Roland Park Country School, St. Paul's School For Boys and For Girls, Walter Johnson, & Whitman.