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 3V, coxswain Owen Louis ’19, Jack Brown ’18, Andrew Peck ’18, Philip Weymouth ’18, and Shaun Kronenwetter ’19, followed the lead of the 4V and blast off the line to grab control of the race in the opening strokes. They were pushed all the way down the course, but maintained their lead throughout the race and surged across the line in first to cap off an undefeated season and claim the NEIRA 3V4+ Championship!
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!
The day was capped off by the announcement that the Deerfield Boys Rowing Team, based on the strength of the finishes of their four crews, had won the NEIRA Boys Fours Team Championship – a first in the history of the team!
With their victory at the NEIRA Championships, the boys 1V earned an automatic bid to the upcoming 2017 US Rowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, FL which will take place from June 9-11 and will be hosted by the Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates at Nathan Benderson Park.
Youth National Championship: http://www.usrowing.org/event/2017-youth-national-championships/
NEIRA Results: http://www.row2k.com/results/files/2017NEIRAResults.pdf & http://www.row2k.com/results/resultspage.cfm?UID=34F6EC48E42F1BCBD131C3B14985345B&cat=6
Boys Results:
Boys 4V – 1st in qualifying heat (5:07.320) & 1st overall in finals (5:07.320) – Gold Medal
Boys 3V – 1st in qualifying heat (5:02.470) & 1st overall in finals (5:05.040) – Gold Medal
Boys 2V – 1st in qualifying heat (5:00.070) & 3rd overall in finals (5:04.540) – Bronze Medal
Boys 1v – 1st in qualifying heat (4:48.050) & 1st overall in finals (4:59.120) – Gold Medal
Boys Team – 1st place overall with 46 points
Racing Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpwPDCSYjE0
The times identify where in the video each race starts.
Boys 4V Heat – 26:30
Boys 3V Heat – 1:39:50
Boys 2V Heat – 3:18:50
Boys 1V Heat – 4:57:30
Boys 4V Grand Final – 6:35:00
Boys 3V Grand Final – 7:11:00
Boys 2V Grand Final – 7:47:00
Boys 1V Grand Final – 9:10:00