New Trier Rowers Once Again Sweep Midwest Rowing Championships

NEW TRIER ROWERS ONCE AGAIN SWEEP MIDWEST ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS

By Brendan Healey

Photo: Scott Pofcher

Dodging raindrops on Saturday and rowing through thick fog early Sunday morning, New Trier Rowing won the overall team championship at the recent Midwest Scholastic Championships held May 12-13 at Lake Dillon in Ohio. This is the 12thconsecutive year that New Trier rowing has achieved this impressive distinction.

New Trier finished with 387 total points, well ahead of second-place Skyline High School from Ann Arbor. Overall, 16 of 21 New Trier boats placed in the top three in their events earning nine golds, six silvers, and one bronze over the 1,500-meter course.

New Trier had strong performances across all race categories.

The boys collected three golds, two silvers, and one bronze. The boys varsity eight, runner-up at the scholastic nationals last year, led the way, winning a relatively close race over long-time rival Central Catholic of Pittsburgh.

“The competition at the Midwest scholastic championship was overall stronger than it was last year,” said New Trier senior Duncan Healey, the coxswain of the varsity eight. “We were expecting a close race going into the final for the 1v. The key for us to win this final was to get off the line fast, establish a lead early, and control the tempo of the race.”

Seniors Peter Chatain and Galen Quinn finish their New Trier careers at Midwests with four championships, having won in the freshman boat and three times in the varsity eight.

New Trier Head Boys Coach Nate Kelp-Lenane has high expectations for the short term, and he likes his team’s prospects for the future. “It was a historic moment for the program as our Varsity Eight won their third Midwest Championship title in a row, with a relatively young crew of five seniors and four juniors,” Kelp-Lenane said. “We are well poised for the upcoming scholastic championship.”

The lightweight boys did their share, too. The lightweight four edged Montgomery Bell Academy from Nashville in a close final. The lightweight eight dueled Montgomery Bell in its final as well, but the Trevians won the rematch with open water. Junior Griffin Schmelter coxed both lightweight boats. Senior Sammy Fogel, sophomore Joe Fox, junior Quinn Ragusi, and junior Enzo Sorano rowed in both boats.

“I am beyond proud of the lightweights in their repeat of winning the lightweight four and eight categories,” New Trier Assistant Coach Charles Richardson said. “The lightweight boys captured their fourth straight Midwest championship in the lightweight eight category and their second consecutive Midwest championship in the lightweight four event. They established their work ethic early in the season and these results are our first steps toward competing at SRAA Nationals where we have successfully made grand finals in the last four years.”

Other medalists for the New Trier boys were the second varsity eight and the varsity four, which both finished second, and the junior four, which finished third.

The girls team proved to be a powerhouse collecting six gold medals and piling up 248 team points, which made them the winner of the girls point trophy.

The New Trier girls varsity eight and second varsity eight both finished with impressive second place finishes in a particularly competitive category this year.

“I’m really proud of the way our team competed this weekend,” said New Trier junior Rachel Rane, the coxswain of the second varsity eight. “We showed a lot of team depth from our freshman boats all the way through our 1V. We’re looking forward to competing again and representing New Trier at the Scholastic National Championships in two weeks.”

New Trier’s Lightweight boats dominated their categories winning 5 gold medals overall.

New Trier’s lightweight girls eight and four both won in convincing fashion. Each boat finished with open water between their stern and the second-place boat’s bow. Four girls--junior Emily Axelrod, sophomore Lily Feinerman, senior Jill Economos, and sophomore Claire Melgard—rowed in both boats. The New Trier girls novice lightweight four also won handily.

“With many developing and established programs from the Midwest getting faster every year, we were happy to defend our title in the girls lightweight eight and walk away with gold in the girls lightweight four,” New Trier Assistant Coach Sandy Culver said. “We hope to repeat victories in those events at Scholastic Nationals.”

In addition to the three lightweight girls titles, the girls also won the novice eight, the freshman eight, and the third varsity eight. Each victory was more convincing than the prior one. The novice eight won by more than seven seconds, the freshman eight had a 14-second margin, and the third varsity eight romped by 17-seconds, a lead of roughly two boat lengths of open water.

“The girls novice squad had a spectacular end to their novice year, winning gold medals in each of their four races,” New Trier Novice Girls Coach Hope Poor said. “The freshman eight looks forward to testing their speed against top competition at Nationals.”

For New Trier Head Girls Coach Rose Marchuk, the focus now turns to the scholastic national championships. “It was a great accomplishment to qualify every girl that we possibly could from the freshman to varsity crews for SRAAs,” Marchuk said. “The girls are motivated to refine their already fast crews to perform even better at SRAAs.”

In addition to the medal haul, New Trier will send 10 boats (six girls and four boys) to the upcoming Scholastic National Championships (SRAA’s), which will be held on the Cooper River in Camden, New Jersey May 25-26.

FIRST PLACE MEDAL WINNERS:

Mens Varsity Eight+:

C-Duncan Healy

8-Peter Skinner

7-Peter Chatain

6-Charles Coppieters

5-Galen Quinn

4-Charlie Fargo

3-Lorenzo Miller

2-Carl Borsotti

1-Mick Flannery

Mens Lightweight Varsity 8+:

C-Griffin Schmelter

8-Colin Glew

7-Quinn Ragusi

6-John Payne

5-Evan Prendergrast

4-Joe Fox

3-Dennis Joyce

2-Sammy Fogel

1-Enzo Sorano

Mens Lightweight 4+:

C-Griffin Schmelter

4-Sammy Fogel

3-Joe Fox

2-Quinn Ragusi

1-Enzo Sorano

Womens 3rdVarsity 8+:

C-Maren Perry

8-Ava Blaugh

7-Francie Hackett

6-Aiden Casey

5-Soleia Quinn

4-Lindsay Falk

3-Ellie Cummings

2-Sabrina Morros

1-Kelly McNulty

Womens Lightweight 8+:

C-Linda Chiu

8-Emily Axelrod

7-Lily Feinerman

6-Jill Economos

5-Claire Melgard

4-Stefanija Rekasius

3-Grace Guarraia

2-Diana Iovenescu

1-Marisol Cassis

Womens Lightweight 4+:

C-Jasmine Wu

4-Emily Axelrod

3-Lily Feinerman

2-Jill Economos

1-Claire Melgard

Womens Freshman 8+:

C- Betthany Senuta

8-Ava Blaugh

7-Sophie Burne

6-Aiden Casey

5-Ellie Cummings

4-Noel Knight

3-Lindsay Condry

2-Danette Denham

1-Mattea Carberry

Womens Novice 8+:

C-Kristin Braesske

8-Lindsay Falk

7-Liesl Steffenson

6-Anne Thornton

5-Maeve McConnell

4-Kate Elli

3-Shelby Brachmann

2-Maggie Nowak

1-Emi Sorano

Womens Novice Lightweight 4+:

C-Chase Hetler

4-Lucia Dunne

3-Sophie Shaker

3-Angelina Gambortica

1-Sophia Salazar

SECOND PLACE MEDAL WINNERS:

Womens Varsity 8+:

C-Nicole Pofcher

8-Charlotte Melgard

7-Rachael Chiao

6-Emily Lewis

5-Janey Rudolph

4-Frances Lafontant

3-Marilyn Gao

2-Hannah Lerner

1-Josephine Olson

Womens 2ndVarsity 8+:

C-Rachel Rane

8-Katherine Figura

7-Olivia Ingle

6-Allison Elli

5-Kinsey Hagedorn

4-Eloise Trout

3-Maisey Reardon

2-Yida Hao

1-Lauren Duffy

Womens Junior Varsity 8+:

C-Janey Matejka

8-Ansley Scarano

7-Michaela Montembeault

6-Molly George

5-Price Carlson

4-Alex Gjaja

3-Kelly Hagedorn

2-Anna Gossard

1-Margaret Lasonde

Womens Junior Varsity 4+:

C-Maren Perry

4-Sabrina Morris

3-Soleia Quinn

2-Kelly McNulty

1-Francie Hackett

Mens Varsity 4+:

C-Duncan Healy

4-Peter Chatain

3-Lorenzo Miller

2-Charlie Fargo

1-Mick Flannery

Mens 2ndVarsity 8:

C:Jonah Rane

8-Tommy Figura

7-Graham Michelson

6-Josh Pickard

5-Patrick Spillane

4-Nick Woerhle

3-Aidan Macpherson

2-Jack Lightfine

1-Zach Blickstein

THIRD PLACE MEDAL WINNERS:

Mens Junior Varsity 4+:

C-Drew Nielson

4-Karl Florida

3-Lucca Figlioli

2-Pierce Brachmann

1-Noah Barkhoff