The Deerfield girls’ rowing team traveled to Saratoga Spring, NY to compete in the Saratoga Invitational. This two day regatta provided an opportunity for every member of the team to race, many of them for the first time this season! The racing on Saturday was 1500m long and included up to ten boats per race. The Sunday racing was for the 1V and 2V and featured 2000m racing. The weather cooperated and conditions were good for Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning’s races. A big thanks to the host club, Saratoga, for organizing this regatta!
Full race results can be found: Saturday and Sunday.
1V
In the first race of the afternoon for the Deerfield girls’ team, the crew of Emi Takegami ‘25, Lillian Auth ‘24, Tatum Lowe ‘25, Georgia Sackrey ‘23, Natalie Meyer ‘23, Teagan Farley ‘26, Rachel Mark ‘23, Larrabee Pollack ‘23, and Margot McAuliffe ‘24 raced against a number of other clubs and schools over 1500m. The crew had a great start, leading Greenwich Crew by a few seats for the first 500m. Unfortunately, they were reeled in by Greenwich, though they fought hard to maintain contact. Deerfield finished 2nd, about 4 seconds off the pace set by Greenwich.
By virtue of their time on Saturday’s 1500m race, Deerfield qualified for Final 1 during Sunday’s 2000m racing. In this race, Deerfield again started well. They faced Greenwich again, along with several other strong clubs and schools. Greenwich and RowAmerica Rye battled each other for the lead and were well ahead of Deerfield over the 2000m course. But, the Big Green rowed well within themselves and finished the race in 3rd, ahead of Cincinnati Juniors, New Trier High School, and Saratoga Rowing Association. Unfortunately, the livestream was unable to capture most of the race.
2V
Saturday afternoon’s second race for DA included the crew of Charlotte Steffensen ‘25, Jane Bannon ‘26, Anna Ogborne ‘25, Alice Zhang ‘24, Evelyn Kunde ‘26, Melinda Aznar Klein ‘25, Elizabeth Kelly ‘25, Fiona Van Nice ‘25, and Jenny Jin ‘24. They raced against a number of clubs and schools over 1500m. In their race, RowAmerica Rye established a signifcant lead early, by Deerfield rowed well within themselves and competed with the junior rowing club from Cincinnati. They finished their race in 3rd, posting a very competitive time in the 2V event.
Their time placed them into Final 1 for Sunday’s 2000m racing. Again, RowAmerica Rye rowed a phenomenal race and paced the field. However, Deerfield was locked in a back-and-forth battle with New Trier High School. These teams traded leads down the course with Deerfield eventually edging New Trier to claim 4th, following Rye, Greenwich, and Cincinnati. It was a tremendous performance over the two days by this group, who continue to make progress in their racing this season!
3V
The next race was the girls’ third boat of Emily Bruno ‘25, Vivian Monopoli ‘26, Hazel Patton ‘26, Alexandra Fierro ‘25, Olivia Port ‘26, Ariana Djunic ‘26, Mia Senturk ‘24, Elizabeth Richards ‘24, and Liv Boe ‘25. This group started well and aggressively, rowing alongside the eventual winners for the first half of the race. In the second half of the race, this group stayed tough but could not quite keep pace with CRI, Greenwich, and St. Andrew. They fought hard until the finish line, ultimately crossing in 4th place.
4V
In the final race of the afternoon, the crew of Leela Portny ‘25, Emily Rice ‘24, Anneke Wittink ‘25, Allie Kostiuk ‘25, Mary O’Shea ‘25, Holly Bernstein ‘26, Harmoni Dobbins ‘26, Izzy Ramirez ‘25, and Hasini Pundla ‘24 raced in the 4V/5V race. In just their second race of the season, this group did a tremendous job of racing hard from start to finish. It was a fast and competitive field, with a couple of entries from RowAmerica Rye, CRI, and Greenwich, all very strong club programs. Deerfield found themselves in a tight race with the B-entry from Greenwich and they were able to finish just in front!
5V
In the final race for Deerfield, the crew of Melody Zhao ‘26, Edie Huffard ‘25, Caylah Yang ‘26, Sarah Henderson ‘26, Valerie Trevino ‘26, Charlotte Brooker ‘26, Maggie Monroe-Williams ‘26, Izzy Cericola ‘24, and Ella Waag ‘26 raced for the first time this season! They were entered in the 4V/5V race and up against some very experienced crews from CRI, Greenwich, and RowAmerica Rye. It was a valuable experience for everyone and all the girls came off the water excited for their next opportunity to race!
The racing in Saratoga was a great experience for all, especially as it allowed our entire team to race together at the same event. The team is looking forward to its racing against Hanover High School and Phillips Exeter Academy on May 6! Many thanks to the parents who were able to travel to Saratoga and view the racing!