Stonington Crew Competes At NEIRA Championships, Qualifies For NSRA Nationals

WORCESTER, MA – On an uncharacteristically calm Lake Quinsigamond, Stonington Crew and fellow public and private high schools competed in the 71st New England Interscholastic Rowing Association (NEIRA) Championships.

“Boats need to qualify to race at NEIRAs,” Varsity Girls Head Coach Maria Brown said in a release. “Our two varsity girls and boys boats have raced well all season. They earned their entry.”

In their respective heats, Stonington’s Girls Second Varsity and First Varsity Eights placed 5th, Boys Second Varsity Eight placed 6th, and Boy’s First Varsity Eight placed 5th. (To sign up for Stonington/Mystic breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

“We continue to improve, even on the last day of the regular season,” Page said. “Today’s regatta shows our young team where we stand against some very fast crews and that we can compete at a high level.”

After missing a repeat of their State Championship title last weekend by less than a second, the Boys First Varsity boat had a redeeming row, improved by five seconds over fellow CPSRA crews, and qualified for nationals. The boat will race in the National Scholastic Rowing Association (NSRA) Championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 10th.

“We’re thrilled to be competing at nationals for the second year in a row,” Page said in a release. “Last year, our Boys Second Varsity boat earned a bronze medal against crews from all over the country, so we know it’s a very real possibility this year.”

In 2016, the Boys First and Second Varsity boats qualified. For full results, go to http://neira.qra.org.

Images courtesy John Thornell