October 19, 2023 By Holly Moriarty
For the third weekend in a row, the Hingham High School Crew team has distinguished itself with exceptional racing, including a first place finish for the girls first novice boat and third place for the girls first varsity crew at the 2023 New Hampshire Championship George Dirth Memorial Regatta.
“It’s important to remember that racing is one of the fun parts of our sport,” said Sydney Blasetti, head coach of the girls HHS Crew team. “The race isn’t to be feared, it’s supposed to be the thing we look forward to, and that’s exactly what we did this weekend. Our athletes had fun doing what they love. They have all worked extremely hard to get to where they are today. As their coach, I couldn’t be more proud.”
More than 2,000 athletes—mainly from the Northeast, with a few crews coming in from as far as Alaska and South Africa—competed in the three-mile head race on the Merrimack River in Pembroke, New Hampshire last Sunday. The weather was sunny and cool with strong winds.
“This weekend was an opportunity for us to prove our strength, to trust our training, and just go for it,” said Sophie Kerr, captain on the girls team. “As we transition into the second half of the season with the Head of the Charles and MPSRAs on the horizon, this was a pivotal point for our whole team to show what we are capable of.”
The HHS boys 4+ boat raced first, with Jack Burns in stroke seat, followed by Kyle Strauss, Will Cassidy, and Cullen Moriarty in bow, with coxswain Jack Levy. The crew finished twelfth out of 23 competitors with Northfield Mt. Herman, Bedford High School, and Bromfield Acton Boxborough taking the top three spots respectively.
“We only had a week in the 4+ to prepare for this race so I was really proud of how we connected together,” said Cullen Moriarty, senior and captain of the HHS Crew team. “We kept the power on and overtook two boats throughout the race and were unaffected by the occasional choppy waters. It was a great first race for the boat.”
Kyle Strauss, senior on the team, added, “I’m glad I got a chance to race in the 4+. It was a fun and exciting experience!”
Hingham’s girls first novice boat has had an especially impressive fall season, earning gold at the Textile River Regatta, silver at New England Juniors, and at the New Hampshire Championships, gold again. The first novice crew placed first in a field of 14 boats, three seconds before Bedford High School and 30 seconds ahead of Saratoga Springs High School, in second and third.
Audrey Smith coxed Theo Migliaccio in stroke seat, Jane Melia, Maddie Owens, Eliza Powers, Aubrey Fairfield, Jesse Tennebo, Bianca Kiley, and Emme Beaudoin in bow for the girls first novice boat.
“This race was the farthest and probably hardest race that we have rowed so far,” said sophomore Jane Melia. “It was hard mentally because we started at bow two, so there was only one boat ahead of us to pass. We’re used to being able to pass at least a few boats and use that adrenaline to power us through. Overall, this was a great race, and although it was a challenge, I would say that this may have been our best race yet.”
Hingham’s girls second novice crew competed in the same race, placing thirteenth. The 2N boat included Octavia Atkins coxing, stroke Rose Lovendale, Haley Kost, Stella Gutierrez, Eva O’Sullivan, Kaylee Araujo, Shayla St. Croix, Lexi Messina, and in bow Mae Mahoney.
The boys novice crew raced next, placing twelfth out of 23 boats, with Saratoga, Community Rowing Inc. (CRI), and Concord High School in first, second, and third.
“The regatta was a lot of fun!” said Lucas Mangili, sophomore and coxswain of the boys novice boat. “Going to a new river to compete is always the highlight of my week. Though we did not place as high as we had hoped, we showed great improvement in our ability to row as a team. It was just a couple months ago that most of these guys, myself included, started rowing for the first time. Though we all still have work to do, I am so proud of how far we have come, not only as individual rowers, but as a team. I look forward to competing in MPSRAs for a chance to win a medal.”
Mangili coxed Oisin Rowan in stroke seat, Will Watts, Michael Catalfano, Zakary Robbins, Liam Govoni, Seph Darlington, Aedan Sullivan, and in bow seat, Noah Rawoof.
HHS’s girls second varsity crew placed fifth out of 14 boats, with Saratoga, Wayland-Weston, and Bedford High School in the top three spots. The 2V boat included rowers Lulu Orth in stroke seat, Dania Thayer, Sophia Santarelli, Genevieve Vale, Taylor Sargent, Jane Betti, Ava Green, and Abrielle Beaudoin in bow, with coxswain Audrey Smith..
The girls third varsity boat raced in the same heat, placing tenth, with Madeline Kittinger in stroke seat, followed by Natalie Shaw, Lauren Newth, Elsie Olin, Dillon Turner, Annie Sargent, Riley Stocks, Shauna Arseneau in bow, and Emily Gu coxing.
Just six seconds out of medal contention, the boys second varsity boat placed fourth of out a large field of 22 boats. Wayland-Weston, St. Benedicts College (South Africa), and St. Johns High School took first, second, and third. Jack Levy coxed Owen Franklin, Arlo Maxwell, Brendan Engel, Lachlan Knies, Hanley Stroka, Trevor Steiner, Liam Connelly, and Niko Mangili in bow.
“It was a great race,” said Owen Franklin, junior and stroke seat of the 2V boat. “A new lineup with only a few days of practice came together and really clicked once we were out on the water. We were aiming for the top three, and although we didn’t get there, we were all very proud with how we performed, especially with that final sprint where we were able to give it our all to pull ahead of the boat in front of us. That was something else.”
The boys third varsity boat competed in the same race placing eighteenth, with coxswain Tyler Bastia, stroke Ryan Kost, Oliver McLucas, Aqueel Bharmal, Ryan Potter, Jack O’Leary, Owen Cerrato, Will Whitrap, and Brent Strauss in bow.
Earning bronze in the next race, the girls first varsity crew placed third out of 12 boats, behind only Saratoga and Wayland-Weston.
“I thought the race was really fun! Everyone in the boat had the same goals, and no one took a stroke off. I can’t wait to see how the boat does during Head of the Charles this weekend,” said Alexa Fox, senior and coxswain of the girls 1V boat.
Fox coxed Maeve Schnorr in stroke seat, followed by Maisie Knies, Sophie Kerr, Isabelle Wagner, Ava Sugrue, Lynnayah Ryan, Marissa Matthews, and in bow Lydia D’Arcy.
“Sitting up at the start, it felt like the energy had shifted from the nerves of the first and second races to a confident adrenaline that fueled us down the course,” added Sophie Kerr. “Things really ticked for us, which is such a satisfying feeling. I’m so proud of everyone and proud to feel so dead at the end of those 4,600 meters surrounded by my favorite girls. “
The boys first varsity boat placed fifth out of another large field of 19 boats, behind St. Benedicts, Saratoga, Wayland-Weston, and Bedford respectively. Torbjorn Tennebo coxed 1V rowers Sam Ackerman in stroke, James Feeley, Dylan Drew, Walker Bogen, Will Barry, Alex Doggett, Slater Fairfield, and Josh Bradshaw in bow.
“Going into this race, we were all hopeful we would medal once again, as we had the previous weekend. While we didn’t meet that goal, we still had a strong race against both traditional rivals and out-of-state teams. All of us are excited going into next week’s race in Boston at the Head of the Charles,” said Alex Doggett, senior on the 1V boat.
“This is a challenging race for our team,” said Alix Howie, head coach of the boys HHS Crew team. “We arrive for the 8 a.m. coxswain meeting, and then our 8+’s don’t race until late in the afternoon. Mentally, that is a huge challenge. I think everyone stepped up against new crews, pushing themselves to the last stroke. We’re looking forward to watching a few boats race at the Head of the Charles this weekend, and then a full team effort at MPSRAs the following.”
This Sunday, October 22, three Hingham High crews will compete in the Head of the Charles: the boys 4+ at 8:22 a.m., the boys 8+ at 9:37 a.m., and the girls 8+ at 12:03 p.m.