May 31, 2007 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Mount medals twice in crew contest
By JAMES KEOUGH

Mount St. Joseph’s Academy kicked off the Memorial Day weekend in a big way, landing six boats in the finals at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America championships. The Mount would medal in two of the six categories, securing gold in the lightweight eight and silver in the junior eight, and finish fourth in the varsity and second varsity events.

All is not as it seems, however, as the difference between second and fourth in the varsity eight final was a whopping 0.547 seconds and the hopeful freshman eight was tragically crippled mid-race by an equipment malfunction. The source of the problem was identified as a snapped oar collar, a piece which helps keep the oar locked in place, which unfortunately broke after the 20 second equipment false start window had elapsed.

Springside School’s presence was also felt as both their boats, a junior quad and a varsity quad, advanced to the finals and claimed a silver and bronze, respectively.

The Mount’s infamous lightweight eight was favored to win after they advanced into the final with the fastest qualifying in the event. They beat out Nardin Academy (5:11.67) and Holy Spirit (5:12.27) to successfully defend their title and take gold for the third straight year with a time of 5:08. That boat consists of veteran seniors Liz Stanowski, Mollie Flynn and Amanda Chain at seven, five and four seats, juniors Devon Stewart, Katie Leonard, Jenna O’Neill and Lizzy Kiernan at coxswain, stroke, three and two seats, and sophomores Erika McCormick and Nicole Rossetti at six and bow seats.

On the other hand, the Mount’s junior eight clawed back from a third place finish in the semifinals to claim silver. That boat is composed of juniors Alicia Elliott, Colleen McNamara, and Meg Farris at coxswain, three and bow, and sophomores Johanna Duff, Meaghan Scher, Emma Brown, Molly Southwell, Megan Welsh and Blaire Kelly at stroke, seven, six, five, four and two seats. Their final time was a 5:16.55 as they finished behind Saratoga High School (5:12) and edged ahead of Mainland High School (5:16.88).

Springside’s junior quad landed their silver after winning their qualifier with a 5:25 and a convincing ten second gap between them and the next boat, Ridgewood (5:35.22). Junior Carolyn Chisholm stroked the boat, followed by sophomore Katherine Roberts, junior Julia Ryan, and junior Holly Bailey. In the final, the margin would be wide as they followed Conestoga HS (5:23) across the line while still holding Sacred Heart (5:43.16) at bay, posting a final 5:30.58.

Springside’s other medal winner, their senior quad, also took a bronze despite a lower semifinal seeding, posting a final time of 5:44.36, finishing behind Conestoga HS (5:23) and McLean (5:38.67). Nell Sorensen stroked the boat with Sarah Patches at three, Sarah Souli at two, and Christine Giovinazzo at bow.

However, the season is all but over for three Mount St. Joseph’s boats. The lightweight four, lightweight eight, and varsity eight boats are all registered to race in the U.S. Rowing Youth Championships in Cincinnati, Ohio. The lightweight boat has high hopes, as they are the defending champs in this regatta as well, but expectations run high across the board.

When asked about the team’s goals in Cincinnati, Coach Mike McKenna responded: “finals.” An appearance in the finals for the lightweight four and varsity eight would be a success, said McKenna.

As for the present regatta, McKenna is pleased. “Overall, we’re real happy,” he said, then, in reference to the varsity eight, “Second or fourth, we’re still happy.” The lightweight four, despite a sixth place finish in the finals, is still hopeful as the team heads into the conclusion of its season.