Rowing, Boys: Varsity defeats NEIRA

The Boys Rowing Team traveled to Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, MA last weekend to compete in the NEIRA Championships.  Saturday proved to be a beautiful day for racing with light winds and great water.  The four Deerfield boats took advantage of the fantastic conditions and each put together solid pieces in the morning heats to pick up the win and move on to their respective Grand Finals in the afternoon.

The boys 4V, coxswain Cassie Deshong ’17, JJ Siritantikorn ’19, Will Briskin ’17, Tommy Gilmore ’20, and Jackson Pitcher ’19, started the afternoon off with a bang by seizing control of their final from the opening strokes and racing out to a commanding lead in the first 500 meters.  It was clear they were not to be denied as they continued to extend their margin all the way down the course, crossing the line 6.5 seconds ahead of the second place crew from Belmont Hill.  It was a fantastic performance from a crew that has been building speed all spring.

The boys 2V, coxswain Henry Hayden ’18, Griffin Sarachek ’17, Jimmy Patton ’20, Henry Lowe ’19, Punisa Lekovic ’19, faced a strong field in their Grand Final and produced a great effort on the big stage.  After the starting stroke, the Deerfield crew found themselves in a tightly packed group of boats at the front of the field, where they continued to take shot after shot.  While Belmont Hill slowly moved into the lead, the Deerfield boys followed them into the second position as the race moved into the final 500 meters.  With all crews sprinting through the finishing strokes of the race, a strong boat from Nobles pushed past Deerfield to grab second while the boys in the green secured third.  It was a gutsy effort against some very good crews and one that we are very proud of!  Well done!

In the final race of the day, the boys 1V, coxswain Dani Michelson ’17, Freddie Johnson ’17, Luca Basile ’17, Gordon Johnson ’17, and Will Sanford ’17, lined up against some of the best crews in the country.  As the starting flag dropped, the Deerfield boat shot off the line with Nobles and those two crews quickly moved into the lead.  Those two boats would stay ahead of the field throughout the race, with Deerfield pushing out to a one length lead by the end of the first 500 meters.  They maintained this lead through the remainder of the race, crossing the line 3 seconds ahead of a very strong group from Nobles.  This win extended an undefeated season for the Boys 1V and kept the NEIRA Championship in western Mass for the fourth year in a row!