May 16, 2024 by J.P. Powers
On yet another pristine rowing day, the Hingham High School Crew team traveled to Hooksett, New Hampshire last weekend to take on Bedford Crew. With temperatures in the 50s, a light south easterly head wind, and a few scattered clouds to minimize the glare, Hingham showed its talent, depth, and skill throughout the morning along the tree-lined,1,500 meter course.
The girls third varsity boat, fresh off of a big win against Brookline, got Hingham off to a quick start as stroke Madeline Kittinger, Dania Thayer, Tayler Sargent, Bianca Kiley, Dillon Turner, Aubrey Fairfield, Emme Beaudoin, bow seat Abrielle Beaudoin, and coxswain Shayla St. Croix surged off the line and powered down the course for another winning finish. The wire-to-wire victory foreshadowed a big day for the rest of the team.
The second race featured the boys third varsity, with coxswain Tyler Bastia, stroke Brendan Engel, Niko Mangili, Lachlan Knies, Oliver McLucas, Owen Cerrato, Zak Robbins, Will Whitrap, and bow seat Liam Connelly putting together a strong performance as they built a big lead and never looked back. The boys rowed hard and flew down the course, outpacing their rivals by more than sixteen seconds.
Next up, the girls fourth varsity with Emily Gu in the coxswain seat, Rose Lovendale at stroke, Shauna Arseneau, Elsie Olin, Haley Kost, Lexi Messina, Stella Gutierrez, Lauren Newth, and Annie Sargent in bow seat simply overpowered their competition. The girls, who have spent much of the past week working on their sprinting techniques, got off to a massive lead and, seeing nothing but open water between them and the finish line, coasted to a comfortable win. Girls novice coach Pat Houle sees this win as a continuation of a tremendous season, “Fantastic showing by our Hingham girls crew team against Bedford. Our fourth boat, with an undefeated regular season, showcased their dominance once again, leaving Bedford trailing by over 20 seconds. Their dedication and teamwork were truly remarkable.”
The fourth race of the day was also the closest competition between the two teams. The girls second varsity boat, with Jane Betti as coxswain, Sophia Santarelli at stroke, Genevieve Vale, Louisa Orth, Isabelle Wagner, Eliza Powers, Nina Murphy, Lydia D’Arcy, and Maddie Owens in bow seat put together arguably their best race of the season as they fought tooth and nail down the course. By the second half of the race, Bedford managed to pick up a seat on Hingham and worked tenaciously to keep the lead. The two boats hit the line separated by a single second after a furious race to the finish.
Coach Pat Houle sees the girls continuing to grow and improve, “Our second varsity boat delivered one of their best performances this season, narrowly missing victory against Bedford by less than a second. Their relentless effort in the sprint, honed through diligent practice all week, almost closed the gap. Anticipation builds for their performance next weekend against Hanover.”
The next race featured the boys second varsity, with coxswain Lucas Mangili, stroke seat Owen Franklin, Trevor Steiner, Will Cassidy, Arlo Maxwell, Hanley Stroka, Alex Doggett, Jack Burns, and Cullen Moriarty grabbing a quick lead before opening up a gap of more than a boat length of open water. As the two boats crossed the midway point in the race, the Hingham boys continued to pour on the speed, hitting the line several boat lengths ahead and leaving no doubt about the outcome.
In a day full of extremely impressive performances, it was the Hingham fourth varsity with Owen Weinstein at coxswain, Brendan Engel at stroke, Niko Mangili, Brian Magner, Ryan Potter, Owen Lefort, Jack O’Leary, Aqueel Bharmal, and bow seat Brent Strauss, as well as the Hingham novice boys with Henry Hoch at coxswain, Michael Catalfano at stroke, Noah Rawoof, Aedan Sullivan, Gerard Bottini, Liam Govoni, Seph Darlington, Luca Arienti, and Johnny O’Dwyer in bow seat who put on the most stunning display of oarsmanship. The two Hingham boats blasted off of the starting line, quickly established a sizable lead over the Bedford entry, and raced each other bow to bow all the way to the finish. In the end, the Hingham boats hit the line one second apart, more than twenty seconds ahead of their competition, and putting an exclamation point on what would be an undefeated day for Hingham Boys Crew.
Boys novice coach Abi Kornet was proud not only of the efforts of the rowers, but of their sportsmanship and team spirit, “The boys said their row felt amazing. Finishing less than a second after the 4V crew made for an extremely impressive race. I’m so glad they could experience that – the heat of side-by-side competition with no intention of taking their foot off the gas. I saw both crews cheer and congratulate the other just after the finish line… that by itself is a win for the whole team.” Brendan Engel ‘25, who rowed in both the 3V and 4V races, sees something special in this team, “Reflecting back on it in Bedford, it was undoubtedly Hingham’s weekend. practicing with both boats that week, I could sense the grit and determination of everyone, each fully committed to giving their absolute best.”
Hingham also raced two boats in the next contest, with the girls fifth varsity consisting of coxswain Octavia Atkins, stroke seat Lexi Messina, Eme Bias, June Rogan, Tag Tomlinson, Kaliana Stockbridge, Charlotte LeClair, Izzie Donnelly, and bow Ashley Sinkus and sixth varsity featuring coxswain Emily Gu, Rose Lovendale at stroke, Ginger Neihoff, Veronica Webb, Peyton Burke, Sophie Peregrine, Eva O’Sullivan, Lena Angel, and bow seat Celia McCarthy putting up tremendous efforts. Despite several of the rowers “hot seating” and participating in their second races of the day, remarkably, the sixth varsity surged to victory by more than seven seconds. Meanwhile, the fifth varsity stayed in contention for second place all the way to the end, hitting the line a few seconds behind Bedford.
Coach Houle is particularly excited about the growth and potential he’s seeing in the young rowers, “Our newest rowers successfully completed their first true 1,500-meter race, showcasing remarkable improvement in technique and power since the start of the season. They’re primed and eager to compete at our championship regatta in two weeks.”
The second-to-last race of the day pitted the Hingham first varsity girls against a very formidable Bedford side. Coxswain Grace Ji, stroke Maeve Schnorr, Maisie Knies, Sophie Kerr, Thea Migliaccio, Ava Sugrue, Natalie Shaw, Marissa Matthews, and bow seat Lynnayah Ryan battled hard for the entire length of the race, despite making contact with a channel buoy with 500 meters left in the race. Overcoming the setback, the Hingham girls showed incredible fight and finished the race strong, a little over a boat length behind Bedford.
In the final race of the day, the boys first varsity boat followed up last week’s resounding win on the Charles River with yet another statement race. After a fast start, stroke seat Dylan Drew, James Feeley, Sam Ackerman, Walker Bogen, Will Barry, James Barry, Slater Fairfield, bow seat Josh Bradshaw, and coxswain Jack Levy immediately got to work taking seats from the Bedford boat. The Hingham boys powered past their competitors and raced for the finish, finally crossing the line more than three seconds ahead and capping off a truly memorable day against a very strong Bedford side. Josh Bradshaw ‘24, was excited about the results, “This was our first time going head to head with Bedford and they were some great competition. We were all super happy to have capitalized after the long bus ride, and thrilled to row on a great course.”
Boys Head Coach Alix Howie is looking forward to more chances for Hingham to continue to prove themselves, “This race was a big unknown for us as we have yet to go up against Bedford in our spring season before. Every boat worked hard and prepared all week and came ready for whatever each race threw at them. It was a phenomenal venue and a great day of racing. The team is excited and motivated for our last three races, looking to showcase more speed.”
Next week Hingham Crew returns to New Hampshire to compete in the Hanover/Tabor Race in Hanover, New Hampshire.