Two Bromfield girls boats won state championships—and one also grabbed a prestigious regional title—as both rowing teams finished successful seasons last weekend.
A boat powered by Fiona Wissells, Elizabeth Wilkey, Sarah Eldredge, Hannah Early, Paulina Sarnik, Colleen O’Shea, Sylvia Sarnik, Emily Mitchell, and coxswain Polly Lauer easily won the junior novice eights race at the Massachusetts State Public School Championships on Lake Quinsigamond on Oct. 25. The day before, the same crew captured first at the Head of the Fish Regatta in Saratoga, N.Y. Some 1,511 boats competed in the pouring rain at the latter event.
Caroline Hart and Olivia McLean won the doubles race at the state championships by a whopping 1 minute, 28 seconds.
The girls varsity eight—Mary Egan, Kate Lee, Jillian Saydah, Tola Myczkowska, Allie Bollman, Liz Swain, Olivia Mclean, Caroline Hart, and cox Ellie Kendall—took the bronze medal in the state meet. They were seventh out of 26 boats at the Head of the Fish Regatta.
First-year racers Caroline Turnbull, Jackie Sampson, Panna Rasania, Annie Cooper, and cox Emma Kenny-Pessia competed for only the second time as a team and finished eighth in the fours-plus-coxswain race.
Karen Kenny, parent of first-year rower Emma Kenny-Pessia, said, “The girls grew in confidence over this season and their coach, Jeff Shaw, helped to demonstrate to them that they are more physically capable than they imagined.”
Three boys boats finished just out of medal contention at the Head of the Fish Regatta: the varsity boys eight, crewed by captains Mike Childs and Conor Finegan, along with Sam Ginouves, Patrick Ware, Scott Blackwell, Ian Christie, Len Kaminski, Kendall Cotton, and cox Diana Fox, were fourth; Childs and Ginouves finished fourth in the doubles; and the boys varsity two-boat, which was manned by Ben Wilmott, Matt Robinson, Taylor Leblanc, Tucker Edwards, Sebastian Smalanskas, Matt Chambers, Zack Shields, Declan Dean, and coxswain Karina Edwards, was fifth.
The double gold medal-winning girls crew team shows off their bounty: From left: Emily Mitchell, Sylvia Sarnik, Paulina Sarnik, Colleen O’Shea, Hannah Early, Sarah Eldredge, Elizabeth Wilkey, Fiona Wissells and, in front, Polly Lauer (holding the Head of the Fish trophy). (Courtesy photo)
