From left: Olivia MacLean, Sylvia Sarnik, Emily Erdos (coxswain), Molly Hart, and Caroline Hart with their coach, Holly Hatton. These rowers won the national title for Youth Women’s 4+. (Courtesy photo by Brad Glade)
In the country’s most competitive high school rowing championship, a Bromfield-Acton-Boxborough crew won gold in its event last weekend, and was welcomed back to Harvard Monday afternoon with a traditional ride in a fire truck, sirens blaring, from Town Hall to the Bromfield School. Three of the rowers are now headed to races in England, including the Henley Royal Regatta on the Thames
They were not alone in their accomplishments. A total of three Bromfield-AB crews—15 rowers and coxswain—plus two coaches and eight parents, traveled to Oak Ridge, Tenn. to compete in the USRowing Youth National Championships, held June 7-9. They joined over 360 of the best crews in the country, from more than 150 clubs and schools, who convened on the shores of Melton Lake in grueling heat and humidity. Each crew had qualified for this regatta by placing among the top three boats at a regional qualifying event. The national champion in each category would be decided over three days of racing through preliminary, repechage (in effect, a second chance), semifinal and final heats.
Sylvia Sarnik pushes past the 2k mark as coxswain Emily Erdos throws her arms up in victory.
The Bromfield-Acton-Boxbor-ough Junior Women’s 4+ (four rowers plus a coxswain) dominated their event, winning every heat they raced and earning the national title for the girls team in a field of 19 boats. The Junior Men’s 4+ placed ninth in a field of 22 boats after a hard-fought race in the B Final while the Junior Women’s Lightweight 4+ rowed to a 12th-place national ranking out of 18 entries in the B Final.
Come-from-behind sprint
The Junior Women’s 4+ powered by Bromfield rowers, junior Sylvia Sarnik, sophomore Molly Hart, senior Olivia McLean, and senior Caroline Hart along with sophomore coxswain Emily Erdos were met with fast competition right from the start. They had to row from behind for the first time this season in the preliminary heat. California’s Pacific Rowing Club held a two-seat lead on Bromfield until the final 250 meters.
At that point, the Bromfield boat went into overdrive. “We were aware of the speed of the other crews at Nationals, but it took us almost a whole race to respond to that speed,” said senior Caroline Hart. In what was a surprising and impressive move to the spectators who watched at the finish line, the girls sprinted and finished the heat two seats up on Pacific. Their win in that first race granted them automatic qualification for the semifinal, which took place the following afternoon.
From left: Kyle Hayes, Charles Watt, Julie Dexter (coxswain), Joey Weaver, Nick Walker, and coach Pat Scott. The team took 9th place in the Men’s 4+ Youth Nationals event.
The crew went into its semifinal prepared for a tight race from the start, but remained poised and relaxed. The semifinal heat proved to be less of a surprise and the crew led the race wire to wire, finishing first. The semifinal margin of victory was a comfortable four seconds over New York regional powerhouse Manhasset.
When it came to the final, the five girls knew that winning the gold medal would come down to trusting one another’s ability and fortitude. Trust one another they did, as the girls have been rowing together for over three years and were undefeated this racing season.
In an incredibly hard-fought race, the crew fell behind Seattle’s Holy Names Academy for about five strokes. Not to be denied the victory, the girls responded to the move with an aggressive sprint, which brought them across the finish line in first place with a margin of a little over two seconds. Coach Hatton said, “No coach could ask for any more from a group of athletes, they did everything I threw at them and more. They earned every stroke of that gold medal with hard work and determination.”
“It was a fantastic run”
“It was a fantastic run and I will miss the cohesiveness and spirit our boat had, which really made it work,” commented sophomore Molly Hart.
The boat enjoyed a spirited medal award ceremony with Coach Hatton, realizing that their championship race was the last high school race for seniors Olivia MacLean and Caroline Hart. Hart and MacLean have rowed together since seventh grade, and earned a silver medal in the double in 2011 at Youth Nationals on the very same course in Tennessee. While this may have been their last high school race together, the pair both plan to continue their rowing at Yale in September.
From left: Panna Rasania, Meghan Glade, Amanda Sundheimer (coxswain), Ki Jung Lee, Courtney Oka, and coach Holly Hatton. The team raced to a 12th place finish in the Women’s 4+ Lightweight Youth Nationals event
Bromfield-Acton-Boxborough’s girls also qualified to race in the Junior Women’s Lightweight 4+ event. Rowers in this event must weigh 130 pounds or less. The young crew consisted of Bromfield junior coxswain Amanda Sundheimer, junior Ki Jung Lee, sophomore Meghan Glade, sophomore Panna Rasania, and Acton-Boxborough sophomore Courtney Oka in the stroke seat. The crew charged onto the scene with their remarkable win at the regional qualifying regatta by just 0.3 seconds.
Lightweight girls aim higher for 2014
They came to nationals with a new sense of pride and a desire to improve on the 16th place performance of the 2012 Junior Women’s Lightweight 4+. The girls put together three extremely hard-fought races to achieve this goal. Racing in the B finals, they earned the rank of 12th in the nation. Mission accomplished! Coach Hatton said her greatest joy for this crew was that after the race when the rowers shared with her that the race had been a great learning experience, they now knew what it takes to win, and their goal for next year is to race in the A Final. Let the work begin!
Bromfield-Acton-Boxborough’s boys also had a very strong performance. The crew, consisting of junior Kyle Hayes, sophomore Charles Watt, senior Joey Weaver, senior Nick Walker with senior coxswain Julie Dexter, qualified for the semifinals on Saturday and advanced to the “B” final on Sunday. Their determined sprint at the end of the final race propelled them to third place in the B Final, earning them the rank of ninth in the nation.
Making their own reputation
Last fall, Coach Pat Scott challenged the boys to go out and make their own reputation instead of relying on those who came before them. He told them that simply wearing the Bromfield-Acton-Boxborough name wasn’t going to put them in any finals or on any medal stands. They had to put in the work.
The crew’s race in its preliminary heat this year was completely different from the races that followed in the repechage, semifinals, and finals. The boys were not fully aware of the strength of competition going into it. After they advanced to the repechage heats, they adjusted their expectations and became more comfortable with what was ahead of them.
No small feat
This weekend was easily their most impressive performance of the season. They were one of only two small public high school programs that made it to the A or B finals. Being among the top ten in the country is no small feat, especially for a crew as inexperienced as this.
Coach Pat applauded the crew’s performance and said, “They showed a level of competitiveness and determination that I have long suspected they had, but had not yet seen. I am thrilled with their performance.”
Senior Joey Weaver is headed to Villanova where he plans to row. Senior cox Julie Dexter will join the Hobart William Smith rowing team this fall. Nick Walker is off to Syracuse, but his plans for rowing were unknown as the paper went to press.
For three of the girls who medaled at the nationals, the season is not quite over. Caroline Hart, Molly Hart and Olivia MacLean, joined by senior Tola Myczkowska, will travel to England for three weeks, where they will race an uncoxed 4 at the Henley Women’s Regatta, the Reading Town Regatta, and the Henley Royal Regatta.
The Women’s Youth 4+ revel in victory after crossing the finish line first in the nation. In the boat from left: Caroline Hart, Olivia MacLean, Molly Hart, Sylvia Sarnik, and coxswain Emily Erdos
