Gone fishin’: BA-B rowing squads finish strong in Saratoga and on the Merrimack

by Jill Maxwell · Friday, November 1, 2024

The Bromfield Acton-Boxborough rowing team’s U17 4 clinched silver at the Head of the Fish Regatta, held in Saratoga Springs, New York, on Oct. 26 and 27. The girls first and third varsity 8s and the varsity quad all finished fourth and just missed the podium; the Saratoga Rowing Association team was the victor on its home waters in three out of these four events. Their first-place lacquered fish heads mounted on plaques were the envy of the BA-B crews.

Multiple athletes rowed the course three times on Sunday; varsity girls Johnny Greenberg and Will Stoddard completed the 2.3-mile race a total of four times over the weekend. “It was a lot of racing, but I loved it, because I love going to ‘Toga,’” Stoddard said. “It’s great team bonding, especially right before we have our break.”

Rowers and coaches know just what to expect in Saratoga. It’s almost always a disastrous combination of wind and rain. Though there was a wicked headwind both afternoons, it was dry all weekend for the 1,600 boats representing 160 clubs and teams. Stoddard said it was hard to get to the part of the stroke called the catch, when the oar is up, because the wind was pushing so hard the rowers could barely lift their blades. But the athletes maintained positivity. “Everyone went into the races with a little bit of anxiety but with a smile on their face, and after, they would say, ‘the wind was really crazy but look at this thing we did better,’” Stoddard said. She added, “Thanks to our two captains who helped make that real.”

Holly Hatton, head coach of the varsity girls, said that at the end of the day, rowing is a mental game. “You’ve got to have this thing, this intrinsic desire to be together and strong, fully engaged, fully committed,” she said. “The boys U17 4 is building that kind of mental cohesiveness. The girls quad is the same, and the girls varsity 8 is very similar. They just go out and love what they’re doing, and it makes a real difference in performance.”

Action on the Merrimack

On Sunday, Oct. 27, BA-B novice and middle school crews streaked down the Merrimack River in Lowell in a blue blur at the Massachusetts Public Schools Rowing Association Fall Championship. Chris Whitbeck, who coaches the novice boys and the eighth-graders, said the novice boys achieved a personal best time for the season, and one of the eighth-grade boats raced to a silver medal finish. But more importantly, he said, all of his squads “showcased the true spirit of rowing: pushing personal limits, striving for excellence, and fostering a deep bond with teammates.” The first and second novice girls 8s took home bronze and gold medals respectively. “Both of the novice girls 8s improved on their earlier performances on the same course” this season, said their coach, Taylor Wright. “The A boat dropped two minutes, and the B boat dropped a minute and bested a number for A boats from other programs. Autumn Desclos rowed well in the varsity single. I am very proud of all three boats!”

These regattas mark the season’s end for BA-B. The team works out in a rented space in Acton’s Gould’s Plaza during the winter and will be back on Bare Hill Pond in the spring. The coaches are looking back and looking ahead. “We set some ambitious goals, and although we fell short, I am pleased with the progress we made. The U17 4 did stand out with some great performances, and I anticipate them setting the tone as we move into winter training,” said Gary Piantedosi, the head coach of the varsity boys.

Jill Maxwell is a BA-B parent and regular contributor.

Head of the Fish, Saratoga, New York, Oct. 26-Oct. 27

Varsity boys

U17 2x: Oscar Maxwell and Patrick Tucker, 18th place, 13 minutes, 55.85 seconds
1V 2x: Gavin Datta and Alex Horton, 31st, 14:15.06
U17 4+: Julian Fariello, Oscar Maxwell, Reid Nelson, Patrick Tucker, and coxswain Austin Lai, second, 13:54.25
1V 4+: Henry Belanger, Shankara Rao, Ulad Danilovich, Atticus Keep, and coxswain Noah Kim, 17th, 13:07.19
2V 4+: Julian Fariello, Will O’Donnell, Parker Cole, Alex Horton, and coxswain Austin Lai, eighth, 13:40.66; Russell Poutasse, Dino Mehic, Gavin Datta, Maxton Zilinek, and coxswain Hasnain Ahsan, 18th, 14:41.72
1V 8+: Henry Belanger, Shankara Rao, Parker Cole, Oscar Maxwell, Reid Nelson, Patrick Tucker, Ulad Danilovich, Atticus Keep, and coxswain Noah Kim, 16th, 12:29.56
2V 8+: Andrew Zhang, Noah Friedman, Liam Abyasinghe, Miles Dusset, Charlie Leuci, Dino Mehic, Will O’Donnell, Maxton Zilinek, and coxswain Hasnain Ahsan, 14th, 15:54.46

Varsity girls

U17 1x: Emily Yang, 8th, 15:31.32; Braeden Hartley, 10th, 15:37.33
U19 1x: Johnny Greenberg, seventh, 14:59.17; Will Stoddard, 15th, 15:24.42; Beatrice Maxwell, 16th, 15:28.23; Emma Gregg, 24th, 15:59.08
U17 2x: Gabby Shee and Ellie Pulido, 15th, 19:13.19
U19 2x: Alexis Nichols and Johnny Greenberg, 19th, 16:12.37; Ainsley Charland and Nix Klein, 30th, 18:47.49
4x: Will Stoddard, Ellie Daly, Emma Gregg, and Johnny Greenberg, fourth, 14:28.06
1V 4+: Emily Yang, Emma Lawson, Beatrice Maxwell, Braeden Hartley, and coxswain Adhiti Venkatesh, seventh, 15:15.40
2V4+: Reval Argow-Sniderman, Izzi Walker, Caroline Yang, Ava Dawn, and coxswain Hanna Lem Moustakas, seventh, 15:44.26; Margaux Lehouck, Sravya Hamsala, Sophia Pierce, Megha Nookala, and coxswain Gwynnie Poutasse, 17:16.90
1V 8+: Johnny Greenberg, Ellie Daly, Will Stoddard, Emily Yang, Emma Lawson, Emma Gregg, Beatrice Maxwell, Braeden Hartley, and coxswain Hanna Lem Moustakas, fourth, 12:23.08
2V 8+: Gabby Shee, Reval Argow-Sniderman, Ava Dawn, Megha Nookala, Izzi Walker, Alexis Nichols, Abby DePew, Caroline Yang, and coxswain Adhiti Venkatesh, fifth, 13:59.99
3V 8+: Margaux Lehouck, Sravya Hamsala, Ainsley Charland, Ellie Pulido, Nix Klein, Emma Gregg, Sophia Pierce, and coxswain Gwynnie Poutasse, fourth, 15:04.15