The BA-B rowing team raced at the Saratoga Invitational in Saratoga Springs, New York, Saturday morning, April 26, earning three medals before high winds caused officials to cancel the afternoon races. The girls first varsity 4 and the boys lightweight double each took second place in its flight; the boys first varsity 8 pulled to a third-place finish.
The girls lightweight 4+ came in fourth, and the boys second varsity 8+ finished fifth in its flight. Then, with gusts picking up as the morning wore on, race officials began shortening the course and postponing events. “Stories were rolling in from other regattas on the East Coast that either had to be canceled or had accidents due to the high winds,” said Holly Hatton, who directs BA-B’s rowing program and coaches the varsity girls. The invitational’s director took several coaches out in a police launch to review the course; everyone agreed that the water was too rough, and they kiboshed the rest of the races.
The BA-B crews performed admirably, their coaches said. “The boys put in some great racing in conditions that would be challenging for even the most experienced crews,” said boys varsity Coach Brian DeDominici. “I was very happy with how well we maintained composure and kept ourselves ready to race with so many variables going on around us. Our focus and trust in teammates led to some excellent results.”
Due to the schedule, more than a dozen girls made the return trip without having dipped an oar. “Despite the challenges of the trip on and off the water, the camaraderie of the team was very positive,” Hatton said. “Everyone was fully engaged and supporting each other.”
On Sunday, May 5, the team hosts its hometown Harvard Henley on Bare Hill Pond. Spectators are most welcome at the town beach; racing will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day.
Saratoga Invitational Results
Varsity boys
Lightweight double: Kevin Yu, Christopher Clark; 2nd, 6:07.826
First varsity 8+: Will Bardenheuer, John Babcock, Max Ewing, Sam Jackson, Dwight Fairchild, Charlie Carbonell, Ben Buchovecky, Stefan Scornavacca, and coxswain Arjun Khurana; 3rd, 5:15.527
Second varsity 8+: Timur Sahin, Olivier Bradley, Michael Ornek, Matthew Atwell, Ryan Camposano, William Walling-Sotolongo, Sebastian Parker, Tommy Vialle, and coxswain Jackie Walker; 5th, 3:49.237
Varsity girls
Lightweight 4+: Emma Gresco-Caulfield, Arianna Thornton, Audrey Maxwell, Catherine Zhou, and coxswain Rachel Shrives; 4th, 5:04.798
First varsity 4+: Anna Shlimak, Summer Maxwell, Katherine Fay, Kaylee Liu, and coxswain Sila Inanoglu; 2nd, 5:21.164
Jill Maxwell of Acton is a freelance
writer and parent of a BA-B rower.
