The Deerfield girls’ rowing team traveled to Methuen, MA to compete against Andover and Community Rowing, Inc (CRI) for their first race of the season. The weather provided fair racing conditions: warm temperatures and a light cross tailwind on the racecourse that kept the water flat. A big thanks to the host school, Andover, for organizing this regatta!
Full race results can be found here.
G1V8
The afternoon schedule opened with the girls’ first boat race. The crew of Emi Takegami ‘25, Elizabeth Kelly ‘25, Jane Bannon ‘26, Jenny Jin ‘24, Fiona Van Nice ‘25, Teagan Farley ‘26, Tatum Lowe ‘26, Melinda Aznar Klein ‘25, and Margot McAuliffe ‘24 had a solid race against very strong crews from both CRI and Andover. This group faced a very aggressive start from CRI that saw them build a lead of nearly one length in the first 500m of the race. Deerfield worked hard through the middle of the race to maintain its position against CRI and establish a lead over Andover. As the teams approached the finish line, CRI extended their lead over Deerfield slightly and DA pushed out a little more on Andover. They crossed the line behind CRI, who posted a time of 4:47.7 to Deerfield’s 4:53.3 and Andover’s 5:00.0. It was a good showing in the crew’s first official race of the season.
G2V8
Next up was the girls’ second boat race. The crew of Charlotte Steffensen ‘25, Mia Senturk ‘24, Holly Bernstein ‘26, Hazel Patton ‘26, Anna Ogborne ‘25, Addie Williams-Ness ‘26, Gigi Selvig ‘27, Charlotte Coody ‘26, and Liv Boe ‘25 started their race well. Racing from the inside lane on the racecourse, the Deerfield crew was able to quickly establish a margin over Andover and CRI before a slight turn in the racecourse. Deerfield held its advantage through the middle of the racecourse. As all three crews approached the finish line, both Andover and CRI began moving back into Deerfield. Coxswain Charlotte Steffensen called for the crew to raise its cadence for a well-timed sprint and the crew from Deerfield was able to defend its slim lead by the finish line. Deerfield crossed first in 5:11.5, ahead of CRI in 5:11.7 and Andover in 5:12.1–a very exciting way for this group to start the season! Especially for some of big green’s first time racers: Gigi Selvig, Charlotte Coody, and Addie Williams-Ness!
G3V8
The next race was the girls’ third boat of Audrey Steffensen ‘25, Izzy Cericola ‘24, Lucy Linnenbach ‘27, Allie Kostiuk ‘25, Olivia Port ‘26, Izzy Ramirez ‘25, Sloane Celli ‘27, Kate Andrews ‘27, and Anneke Wittink ‘25. In this race the crew from Deerfield found itself in the middle of the three racing lanes. Racing at a cadence of 32 strokes per minute, Deerfield got off to a strong start by walking through Andover and staying connected with CRI. After a strong fight through the middle of the race, CRI pulled ahead and continued their lead, placing first with a time of 5:17.9, Deerfield following in second with a time of 5:23.8, finishing with open water on Andover who came in third at 5:41.5, a great finish in their first race this season!
G4V8
The final race of the day consisted of coxswain Vi Reddy ‘27 with Maggie Monroe ‘26, Edie Huffard ‘25, Katherine Goltra ‘27, Cecy Yazwinski ‘27, Plum Schiff ‘27, Skylar Ricketts ‘27, Ella Waag ‘26, and Sylvie Sobotka ‘26. The girls 4v raced in the third lane on the outside, getting off to a strong start but trailing CRI after the first 500. After recovering from some rocky strokes early on, Deerfield moved well and continued rowing strongly down the course where they fought a hard battle against Andover, finishing 3rd with a time of 5:18.6. For many in this boat it was their first ever race, and they showed grit and determination in their first competition.
The Deerfield girls had a great afternoon on the Merrimack River and they look to continue their season next weekend when they head to Saratoga Spring, NY for racing at the Saratoga Invitational!