The Deerfield girls’ rowing team traveled to Methuen, MA to compete against Andover and Community Rowing, Incorporated for their first race of the season. The weather provided good racing conditions: warm temperatures and a strong tailwind on the racecourse that created fast conditions. A big thanks to the host school, Andover, for organizing this regatta!
Full race results against Andover can be found here and against CRI here.
G1V8
The racing schedule opened with the girls’ first boat. The crew of Emi Takegami ‘25, Fiona Van Nice ‘25, Elizabeth Kelly ‘25, Melinda Aznar Klein ‘25, Riley Farmer ‘26, Tatum Lowe ‘25, Sloane Celli ‘27, Laura Kim ‘26, and Teagan Farley ‘26 had a good race against a very determined crew from Andover. This group used a strong opening 500m push to establish a margin of about one length over Andover. Through the middle of the race, Deerfield was able to maintain its lead over both Andover and weathered a strong sprint to remain in front.
Based on the result of their first race, Deerfield was matched up against Community Rowing Incorporated (CRI), a strong rowing club from Boston. In their afternoon race, the two boats started quickly. Deerfield settled into an aggressive race pace and managed to move steadily away from CRI with a strong middle of the race and built a lead of about two lengths by the finish line. This race was a very good step forward in the crew’s ability to race aggressively and was a good learning opportunity for them.
G2V8
Next up was the girls’ second boat race. The crew of Charlotte Steffensen ‘25, Ariana Djunic ‘26, Hazel Patton ‘26, Charlotte Coody ‘26, Anna Ogborne ‘25, Gigi Selvig ‘27, Addie Williams-Ness ‘26, Mary O’Shea ‘25, and Jane Bannon ‘26 started their race against Andover well. Racing from the outermost lane on the racecourse, the Deerfield crew was able to quickly establish a margin over Andover before a slight turn in the racecourse. Deerfield pulled away steadily from its competitor and by the finish, DA had established an open-water lead.
Based on the results of their morning race, Deerfield was matched up against CRI’s 2V for the afternoon race. While this group had a good race and showed improvements from the morning race, they found themselves off the pace being set by CRI. Nonetheless, the Deerfield crew rowed with persistence and trailed CRI by about two lengths by the end of the race. It was a hard effort and a good learning experience for this group.
G3V8
The next race was the girls’ third boat of Audrey Steffensen ‘26, Lily Johnson ‘28, Rowan Skinner ‘26, Olivia Port ‘26, Kate Andrews ‘27, Reagan Amundsen ‘26, Holly Bernstein ‘26, Liv Boe ‘25, and Claire Xia ‘28. This crew faced some very strong opposition from Andover. The Deerfield crew started well, inching ahead of Andover in the early stages of the race. They used a persistent effort to continue moving out ahead of Andover during the middle portion of the racecourse. By the finish line, Deerfield had established a one length margin over Andover and they were able to weather a strong sprint by the Andover crew to maintain their margin.
Based on the result of their morning race, Deerfield faced CRI in the afternoon. Again, Deerfield found themselves trailing CRI early in the race but remained persistent and worked hard to stay in contact with CRI through the middle of the race. Unfortunately, Deerfield was unable to make up any ground on their opponent and slipped a little further behind in the closing stages of the race. Despite this result, the Deerfield crew showed improvement in their racing between the two races – a great sign for this first weekend of racing!
G4V8
The final boat to race for Deerfield was composed of Zara Ali ‘27, Plum Schiff ‘27, Lucy Linnenbach ‘27, Annie Egleston ‘27, Katie Mountz ‘27, Cecy Yazwinski ‘27, Katherine Goltra ‘27, Eloise Forrest ‘28, and Alia Marquardt ‘27. This crew raced against three other boats: one from Andover and three entries from CRI. The crew from Deerfield started well, staying in contact with a very skilled CRI-A entry. Through the middle of the racecourse, CRI-A established an advantage over Deerfield who had moved ahead of Andover and the other CRI entries. This order remained until the finish line, with CRI finishing with an open water lead ahead of Deerfield who led other entries in the event. It was a great first row for several members of this crew and a very exciting way for them to begin their first season of rowing at Deerfield
It was a good afternoon of racing for the Deerfield girls – lots of first time racers and, for those who were able to race twice, lots of progress in their racing ability! Next up on the schedule is a scrimmage with St. Paul’s School on Wednesday, April 23rd for G1V, G2V, and G3V groups. Others will practice hard for the next couple of weeks before we face tough competition against Hanover High School and Phillips Exeter on May 3rd. Thanks again to Andover for hosting a great afternoon of racing on the Merrimack!