In a tight race at the regional rowing contest on Worcester’s Lake Quinsigamond Sunday, May 21, one Bromfield Acton-Boxborough boys pair—Joshua Hollenberg and Alexander Ewing—secured a place at the national championship to be held in Sarasota, Florida, in June. Two other BA-B crews at the regatta were so close to qualifying that the team has petitioned the sport’s governing body, USRowing, to allow them to advance as well. Of 33 teams competing at regionals, BA-B placed 13th overall.
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The girls lightweight 8+, from left: Taylor Tracey, Courtney Robb, Alissa Kong, Kaylee Liu, Anna Shlimak, Zoe Flanzer, Summer Maxwell, Erin Smith, and coxswain Camryn Farren. (Courtesy photo)
The regatta was one of several held around the country to identify the fastest crews in each region. The top three finishers in each race advance to nationals. If a boat comes in fourth place within three seconds of the third-place time for a crew of eight or four, or within five seconds for a crew of one or two, the team can ask to be considered for an at-large entry. That’s exactly what varsity coaches Holly Hatton and Brian DeDominici have done.
The girls lightweight 8 finished second to a Greenwich, Connecticut, squad in Saturday’s time trials. In Sunday’s final, Greenwich took the lead again, and the BA-B girls engaged in a three-way battle for the remaining two nationals berths. They finished in fourth place by a quarter of a second—less than the blink of an eye. The boys second varsity pair also finished fourth, by just seven-tenths of a second. “We have submitted a petition with the hope of qualifying for nationals. We need to wait for USRowing to review it,” Hatton said.
Of the girls lightweight 8, Hatton said, “There’s a special chemistry to this crew, which doesn’t always happen in a group of nine individuals, and I firmly believe this energy has given them extra speed beyond their individual parts.”
The girls 4 held its own in a field of 23 boats. “This is a relatively young crew with all but one girl returning next year, so our goal for them was a more high-level racing experience,” Hatton said. “They really came together as a crew and will bring this experience back to the team next year.”
The boys 8 logged one of its fastest races of the season, DeDominici said, adding that the boys light double jumped into the boat with limited training time and the deepest field of the day. They advanced to the semifinals. Of the athletes who did not race at regionals, Vito Montesa and Liam Makosky took a two-man skiff to the Essex River Race, an hourlong contest on the ocean. They finished first in their division, DeDominici reported.
“It was a great overall weekend, and I’m looking forward to getting everyone back in 8s for the Mass. Public Schools Regatta Championships” in Lowell May 28, he said.
Quinsigamond Race Results
Girls varsity 4+, 12th, 7:43.24. Rowers Katherine Fay, Valentine Bulpin, Grace White, Caroline Noyes, and coxswain Amy Zhu.
Girls lightweight 8+, 4th, 7:07.54. Rowers Taylor Tracey, Courtney Robb, Alissa Kong, Kaylee Liu, Anna Shlimak, Zoe Flanzer, Summer Maxwell, Erin Smith, and coxswain Camryn Farren.
Boys 2–, 3rd, 7:22.612. Rowers Joshua Hollenberg and Alexander Ewing; 4th, 7:23.329. Rowers Brian Fay and Matt Adams.
Boys lightweight 2x, 14th, 8:09.12. Rowers Kevin Yu and Alexander Nikopoulos.
Boys varsity 8+, 5th, 6:15.435. Rowers Dwight Fairchild, Alexander Ewing, David Shlimak, William Thompson, Joshua Hollenberg, Connor O’Shea, Jack Walsh, Kyle Veo, and coxswain Nilay Maity.
Jill Maxwell of Acton is a freelance writer and parent of a BA-B rower.
