October 18, 2024 By J.P. Powers
On a gray and dreary Sunday with a cold drizzle of rain falling intermittently throughout the morning and afternoon, Hingham High Crew absolutely caught fire on the 4,200 meter course at Lake Quinsigamond against a huge field of competitors. Rowing against some of the strongest teams in the region, Hingham Crew flashed power and purpose in the final tune-up before next weekend’s Head of the Charles Regatta.
The day kicked off with the girls first varsity 4+ boat, where coxswain Emily Gu, stroke Madeline Kittinger, Izzy Wagner, Jane Melia, and bow Maddie Owens powered their way past six other boats in a very strong field, setting the table for a big day. The girls put in a tremendous effort and demonstrated remarkable fitness as they would all go on to win medals in the 2V 8+ race later in the day.
The second race of the day featured the girls second varsity 4+ boat, who would continue the momentum for Hingham and power their way to the first Hingham medal of the morning. Coxswain Shayla St. Croix, stroke Bianca Kiley, Rose Lovendale, Annie Sargent, and bow Stella Gutierrez have shown tremendous growth over the past few weeks in the 4+. The girls appear to be peaking at exactly the right time as they ready for the Head of the Charles, having secured brand new silver medals after leaving several competitors in their wake.
Next up, the girls second novice boat, competing in only their second regatta of the season, have shown incredible growth in a remarkably short time as they flew past the competition. Coxswain Lexi Messina, stroke Neve Brown, Ellie White, Shelby Stroka, Ava Kelly, Fiona Galvin, Leonie Eigenmann, Audrey Lambert, and bow Violet Tysdal rowed a very strong race as they secured bronze medals. Coach Pat Houle is very impressed with the progress the girls have made, “The girls coaching staff was extremely proud of our second novice eight and the race they had. They rowed at a high rating, backed up with power, and looked solid coming through the last 2000m of the race course. They have been making great gains each day at practice and it showed this weekend against tough competition!”
The boys second novice, with coxswain Fox Clarke, stroke Sam Whitrap, Ben Hansmire, Will Vanderweil, Martin Seggev, Xavier Bogen, Eugene Purtell, Hmood Alquthami, and bow Cooper Weinstein put together a terrific effort in only their second regatta. The boys showed good form and zero quit against a very tough field of competitors. Boys Head Novice Coach Abi Kornet sees the rowers learning and growing with each practice and race, “Every race is a step forward and teaches something new. The boys had a strong start and a challenging finish, but they gained resilience, sharpening their focus and determination for the coming weeks. I’m proud of them.”
Meanwhile, the girls first novice boat, who are in the middle of an absolutely dominant breakout season, continued to flash their power and skill against a 10-boat field of competitors. Coxswain Ashley Sinkus, stroke Coco Prohm, Ginger Neihoff, Veronica Webb, Peyton Burke, June Rogan, Eme Bias, Lena Angel, and bow Celia McCarthy were by far and away the best high school boat in the race, as they demolished every other competitor except the club team from CRI, with whom Hingham once again hung tough from wire to wire. Against their public school peers, the Hingham entry was simply operating at a different level of power and speed, grabbing a silver medal for their efforts.
The Hingham boys first novice, competing in a huge 17-boat field, managed to lock in and row with purpose as they bested a dozen other entries, including those from powerhouses CRI, BC High, St. Johns, and Duxbury. The boat, with coxswain Jordan Brown, stroke Spencer Farish, Hector Munoz, Andrew Accettella, Nate Bradl, Brendan Conroy, Michael Lane, Ben Ferguson, and bow Landy Vittorini, once again showed big improvements as they look to have a very strong lineup of rowers to take to MPSRAs in two weeks.
As the Hingham team has continued to grow in numbers and depth, the quality and strength of the rowers has been most evident in the girls third and fourth varsity boats, who have both had opportunities to shine this season. Both boats competed in the third varsity race, where the fourth varsity boat of coxswain Grace Ji, stroke Lauren Newth, Shauna Arseneau, Elsie Olin, Peyton Burke, Stella Gutierrez, Eva O’Sullivan, Kaylee Araujo, and bow Mae Mahoney rowed a stellar race, powering past boats and missing the bronze medal by a mere 4 seconds. Meanwhile, the third varsity, with coxswain Shayla St. Croix, stroke Rose Lovendale, Annie Sargent, Taylor Sargent, Hayley Kost, Dillon Turner, Aubrey Fairfield, Anne Kyriss, and bow Abrielle Beaudoin, despite hot seating two rowers, showed exceptional execution and stamina as they rowed to a gold medal.
The Hingham boys third varsity boat, racing in a very challenging field, with coxswain Brent Strauss, stroke Michael Catalfano, William Watts, Owen Cerrato, Gerard Bottini, Aqueel Bharmal, Jack O’Leary, Liam Giovoni, and bow Ryan Potter submitted a very strong effort, passing several boats and demonstrating outstanding growth and conditioning.
The girls second varsity, in the middle of an absolutely outstanding and successful season, once again flashed their talent as they powered to yet another medal-winning race. Despite hot-seating more than half of the rowers, Coxswain Emily Gu, stroke Madeline Kittinger, Izzy Wagner, Jane Melia, Bianca Kiley, Lydia D’Arcy, Dania Thayer, Jane Betti, and bow Maddie Owens looked fast and strong as they flew past several other boats and raced to a bronze finish. The girls look to be in excellent shape as they prepare for the Head of the Charles and the MPSRAs.
The boys second varsity, in a huge and loaded field, had a terrific showing as they beat out powerhouses like Glastonbury, Boston Latin, and Westford Academy for another strong finish. Coxswain Tyler Bastia, stroke Owen Franklin, Owen Lefort, Will Cassidy, Oliver McLucas, Brendan Engel, Zakary Robbins, Will Whitrap, and bow Liam Connolly showed excellent coordination and speed as they raced down the course. Boys Head Coach Sarah Dewey is happy to see the growth in the boys on all the boats as they hone their skills and continue to get stronger, “I’m so proud of all their efforts – every week is a new discovery, a new personal best and an opportunity to work together as a boat and as a team.”
The girls first varsity, in yet another large and strong field, had perhaps their best race of the season as they ended up celebrating another Hingham medal. Coxswain Audrey Smith, stroke Emme Beaudoin, Natalie Shaw, Louisa Orth, Thea Miggliaccio, Ava Sugrue, Eliza Powers, Sophia Santarelli, and bow Lynnayah Ryan, rowed a powerful and efficient race. The excellent conditioning program implemented by the coaches appears to have paid dividends, as the girls finished well ahead of many other quality entries for the bronze medal.
In the last race of the day, the boys first varsity, with coxswain Lucas Mangili, stroke Hanley Stroka, Walker Bogen, Lachlan Knies, Trevor Steiner, Will Barry, Arlo Maxwell, Slater Fairfield, and bow Nicholas Mangili, took on a massive 20-boat field. In their last tune-up before the Head of the Charles, the boys acquitted themselves well, passing many boats and looking to be in fine midseason form. It’s a promising sign that the boys will do very well next week before closing out the season at MPSRAs.
Next Sunday, Hingham will be bringing four boats (two girls 4s and a girls 8, plus a boys 8) to the Head of the Charles, the largest 2-day regatta in the world. With 11,000 athletes from all over the planet rowing in 1,900 boats, the race, established in 1965, is considered to be one of the most prestigious in the world. All are welcome and encouraged to attend and see some of the best college, high school, and club programs compete against each other.
