The Deerfield girls’ rowing team traveled to Concord, NH to compete against St. Paul’s School and Phillips Exeter Academy. The weather offered great racing conditions on Turkey Pond: light tailwind with rain and flat water. A big thanks to the host school, St. Paul’s, for organizing and running this race!
Full race results can be found here.
4V
In the first race of the afternoon for the girls’ team, the crew of Leela Portny ‘25, Emily Rice ‘24, Anneke Wittink ‘25, Allie Kostiuk ‘25, Maggie Monroe-Williams ‘26, Holly Bernstein ‘26, Harmoni Dobbins ‘26, Izzy Ramirez ‘25, and Mary O’Shea ‘25 raced against crews St. Paul’s and Exeter. Deerfield found Bedford jumped out to a quick start against Deerfield. The girls from DA had a difficult time managing the challenging wind and water conditions and never found a sustainable rhythm to their rowing. Nonetheless, they fought hard and remained competitive with a very determined and skilled crew from Bedford. By the finish, Bedford clocked 4:54, ahead of Deerfield’s 4:57. It was a gutsy row from DA and they will be eager to return to practice this week ahead of their final race of the season at St. Paul’s School.
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. After a good week of practice, this group faced exceptional crews from both St. Paul’s and Exeter. Deerfield started aggressively, coming off their starting strokes with a slight advantage over St. Paul’s and Exeter. They lengthened to their race cadence well, determined to extend their advantage through the middle of the race. St. Paul’s offered the bigger challenge as the race entered the final 500m. SPS remained in contact with DA, but a slight lift in cadence allowed DA to push their lead a little further. By the finish, Deerfield had about 6 seats on St. Paul’s and an open-water lead over Exeter. Final results for the race were: Deerfield (5:22.6) followed by St. Paul’s (5:24.8) followed by Exeter (5:48.1).
2V
Deerfield’s 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 raced two quality opponents in St. Paul’s and Exeter. After a strong start by all teams, Deerfield managed a lead of several seats over both SPS and Exeter. They continued to race hard and with a high cadence through the middle of the race, pushing out a little further on their competitors. Neither of their opponents gave in, and Exeter was especially persistent in the second half of the race. DA remained composed amid these challenges and came into the final part of the race with a one length lead on Exeter and a little open water on St. Paul’s. By the finish line, DA crossed in 5:07.6, ahead of Exeter in 5:11.3, and SPS in 5:15.2.
1V
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 strong teams from St. Paul’s and Exeter. Deerfield had a good start but found themselves trailing an aggressive group from St. Paul’s. DA remained composed and lengthened to a solid base speed, gradually reeling in the fast-starting SPS crew. Through the middle of the race, DA drew level and then pushed out on SPS and extended their lead over Exeter. Entering the final stages of the race, SPS still maintained contact with Deerfield, who lifted their cadence and was able to push a little further ahead. They crossed the finish line in 4:47.3, ahead of SPS in 4:52.6, and Exeter 5:02.1.
5V
The crew of Melody Zhao ‘26, Sarah Henderson ‘26, Valerie ‘26, Edie Huffard ‘25, Charlotte Brooker ‘26, Maggie Monroe-Williams ‘26, Caylah Yang ‘26, Izzy Cericola ‘24, and Ella Waag ‘26 raced in the 5V event to finish the race schedule! Deerfield faced a strong entry from St. Paul’s. In their final race of the season, this group was eager to finish on a high note! They had an aggressive start and were rowing even with St. Paul’s. Unfortunately, a missed stroke in the SPS crew caused them to stop and then re-start. This allowed DA to pull ahead and establish a commanding position. Through the middle of the race, Deerfield continued to row hard and were in control as they crossed the finish line in 6:07.1 ahead of St. Paul’s in 6:31.5.
The racing in Concord was a great experience for all, and a fitting conclusion to the season for the 4V and 5V crews. All athletes demonstrated tremendous progress in their rowing and racing throughout the season. The team’s 1V – 3V will continue its racing at the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association (NEIRA) Championships held in Worcester, MA on May 27th! Many thanks to the parents who braved the race and traveled to Concord to view the racing! Go Big Green!