Simsbury Crew Medals at State Rowing Regatta

The Connecticut Public School Rowing Association (CPSRA) held its 23rd Championship Regatta for public high school crews at Lake Waramaug on Sunday, May 22. Simsbury competed against other Connecticut public high school rowing teams on a blistering hot day. Entries in the eights were Avon, Farmington, Glastonbury, Guilford, Lyme-Old Lyme, East Lyme, Lewis Mills, Middletown, EO Smith, Valley Regional, and Stonington. At the end of the day, Simsbury boys V1 and V2 came in first place.

The boys V2 started out the races for Simsbury. They rowed against three other teams and fought hard. They sprinted across the finish line at 4:59.9 just beating Glastonbury by a few seats 5:01.7. They went on to compete in the Finals and again battled fiercely. They dug deep crossing the line at 5:04.0 and pulled out a big first-place win coming in .06 second before Farmington. Rowing on the Ironhorse for Simsbury was Keira Wild (coxswain), Andrew Orosz (stroke), Brady Quinn (7th seat), Simon Green (6th seat), Joshua Phillips (5th seat), Rudy Langin (4th seat), Gianni Perdikis (3rd seat), Christopher Morris (2nd seat), Anthony Shaw (bow). Coached by Adam Askham.

The Simsbury boys 3rd varsity rowed in a final match and came in 3rd. They crossed the finish line at 5:18.6, beaten by the Farmington boat that came in a mere second faster at 5:17.5. The Persistent and tough Simsbury girls V2 boat also trailed a second behind but it was against a Farmington boat. They came in 4th overall completing the race at 5:52.1. They made a valiant effort against difficult competition.

The V1 girls rowed against four other teams. They fought tirelessly with Glastonbury but came in second behind them with a time of 5:27.0. They then went on to race in the finals. Although they powered through against tough competition, they finished in fifth place.

The Boys first varsity started out in the middle lane but finished first with a time of 4:41.1, edging out the Glastonbury boat finish of 4:46.4. The boys first varsity went on to race in the final against five other teams with a thrilling finish. Only four seconds separated them from Stonington. Simsbury won first place by crossing the finish line at 4:40.6. Rowing in the Grit for Simsbury was Alex Baroncelli (coxswain), Matthew Dacey (stroke), Jack Galt (7th seat), Dante Oliveira (6th seat), Zakary Schwarz (5th seat), Aaron Harris (4th seat), Nelson Perry (3rd seat), Jack Williams (2nd seat), and Luke Williams (bow). The boys crew is coached by Adam Askham.

The extreme heat took a toll on all but these amazing athletes pushed through. At the post-race awards ceremony, CPSRA President and Simsbury Crew Girls Head Coach Ann Carabillo praised all athletes for a fantastic day of racing.

The Spring rowing season concludes for Simsbury Crew on Memorial Day weekend at the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association (NEIRA) Championships at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, MA, where four Simsbury boats have qualified to race. For more information about the Simsbury Crew program, visit www.simsburycrew.org.