May 19, 2025 By: J.P. Powers Photos courtesy of Brian Smith
On Saturday, the boys and girls of Hingham Crew traveled a couple of hours north to the beautiful shores of the Connecticut River in Hanover, NH to face Hanover and Tabor in their final tuneup before New Englands and the Massachusetts State Championship Regatta next weekend. With the threat of possible thunderstorms looming in the afternoon, the race times were moved up a bit and the team met an hour earlier than originally planned to ensure that the race day went quickly and smoothly. Despite the earlier start times, Hingham still brought their A game in an impressive showing against two high quality opponents. The conditions at race time along the 1,400 meter course were slightly overcast with very light wind and variable current speeds, as the dam was opened and closed during the course of the event.
The first race of the day featured the Hingham boys third varsity, with coxswain Henry Hoch, stroke Liam Connolly, Seph Darlington, Will Whitrap, Martin Seggev, Aedan Sullivan, Ben Hansmire, Liam Govoni, and bow Jack O’Leary. The boys, facing two Hanover boats and a boat from Tabor, got Hingham off to a very fast start, as they raced past one of the Hanover boats and the Tabor boat, jockeying for the lead with the Hanover third varsity. In the end, the boys fell just short of beating the third varsity from Hanover, but finished well ahead of Hanover’s fourth varsity and Tabor. Coach Sarah Dewey noted that the boys keep improving each week, “The top three crews were pushed to row their strongest races of the season so far by Hanover and Tabor.”
The next race was undoubtedly the most exciting of the regatta, featuring the Hingham girls fourth varsity, with coxswain Shauna Arseneau, stroke Veronica Webb, Hayley Kost, Rose Lovendale, Violet Tysdal, Elsie Olin, Celia McCarthy, Anne Kyriss, and bow Eva O’Sullivan. The girls, who have been able to overpower most of the boats they’ve faced this season, found a very skilled opponent in the Hanover team. Both boats got off to a good start, driving hard along the entire race course. With 500 meters to go, the Hingham girls found themselves with a small deficit. With time and meters running short, they locked in and pulled with everything they had. With 100 meters to go, the Hingham girls had closed the gap and the boats were running essentially dead even, but with every powerful stroke, the Hingham girls pulled inexorably closer. As they hit the line, Hingham was just .4 second behind – an incredibly close finish for a crew that showed a ton of heart and effort.
Next up, the girls third varsity, with coxswain Ginger Neihoff, stroke Stella Gutierrez, Annie Sargent, Jane Betti, Ellie White, Taylor Sargent, Eme Bias, Lydia D’Arcy, and bow Abrielle Beaudoin, continued their dominant season with another stunning victory. The girls, who have simply overpowered most boats they’ve faced, once again found themselves all alone out front with 500 meters to go. Undaunted, they kept pushing themselves, finishing nearly a half a minute ahead of Hanover’s third varsity. They appear to be in great shape for next weekend’s pivotal races.
The boys first varsity, with coxswain Lucas Mangili, stroke Hanley Stroka, Nate Bradl, Sam Ackerman, Lachlan Knies, Slater Fairfield, Arlo Maxwell, Will Barry, and bow Nicholas Mangili, had a very difficult start, leaving Hingham at least 3-4 seats down out of the gate. By the midpoint of the race, Hingham had clawed back into the race and found themselves in an incredibly tight battle with Tabor, just behind Hanover. In the last 300 meters, it was clear that the Hingham boys had more power to give, as they clawed back ground from both competitors with each stroke, but the early deficit was simply too much to overcome, as they finished just two seconds behind Tabor and about a boat length back from Hanover. Coach Sarah Dewey sees the result as an opportunity for the boys to add some fire to their performance when they see Tabor next weekend at MPSRAs, “Tabor surprised the boys V1 with a strong rebound which leaves us with some “unfinished business” to settle there. Looking ahead to final championships, all our crews will need to build upon this race by dedicating their focus solely to crew this week – eat, sleep, row, repeat – let’s go Hingham!”
In another incredible race, the girls second varsity, with coxswain Maddie Owens, stroke Sophia Santarelli, Dania Thayer, June Rogan, Aubrey Fairfield, Madeline Kittinger, Natalie Shaw, Coco Prohm, and Peyton Burke, found themselves in an intense duel with the Hanover second varsity. Having gained several boat lengths on Tabor, the Hingham and Hanover girls battled back and forth for the lead for much of the race. In the last 400 meters, the Hingham girls finally seized the lead for good and didn’t look back. They finished strong, closing out the win by about half a boat length in a tremendous show of grit and power.
The boys fourth varsity, with coxswain Jordan Brown, stroke Brendan Conroy, Huck Shaughnessy, Ryan Potter, Xavier Bogen, Hmood Al-Quthami, Walter Drews, Sam Whitrap, and bow Eugene Purtel, faced off against three Hanover boats. The Hingham boys put in a great effort as they battled the entire length of the course, showing perseverance and power. Coach Sarah Dewey noted the progress the boys have made, “The 4V is still learning to row together and felt their start was strong.”
The girls first varsity, who have looked stronger and stronger each week, finally broke through with a huge performance. Stroke Emily Gu, coxswain Emme Beaudoin, Thea Migliaccio, Maeve Schnorr, Eliza Powers, Louisa Orth, Bianca Kiley, Ava Sugrue, and Lynnayah Ryan were fast off the line at the start, quickly leaving Tabor behind and getting locked into a two-boat duel with Hanover. The Hingham girls were able to use a series of power fives and power tens to walk on their rival boat, eventually gaining open water over Hanover a little more than halfway through the race. With 400 meters to go, everything seemed to “click” and they increased their speed and power through the finish. Leaving no doubt about the outcome, they hit the line with open water in front of Hanover, and multiple boat lengths in front of Tabor.
Next, the boys second varsity, with coxswain Brent Strauss, stroke Owen Cerrato, Landy Vittorini, Brendan Engel, Oliver McLucas, Spencer Farish, Hector Munoz, Gerard Bottini, and bow Zakary Robbins, managed to gain a significant lead on Tabor early. The boys battled hard against Hanover throughout the race, but just could not find the necessary pace to catch them. Ultimately, the boys finished just back of Hanover, but well ahead of the Tabor boat. Coach Dave Deluliis was proud of the boys effort and looking forward to next weekend’s races, “Overall, the boys put together some of their strongest rows of the season. The competition was fierce, but we’re proud of their effort and excited to carry this momentum into championship weekend.”
The final race of the day featured Hingham’s fifth and sixth varsity boats, who raced Tabor’s third boat and Hanover’s fifth varsity. The fifth varsity, with coxswain Ashley Sinkus, stroke Neve Brown, Leonie Eigenmann, Abby Zimmerman, Ava Kelly, Shelby Stroka, Charlotte LeClair, Anna Rubel, and bow Paige Moore, and the sixth varsity, with coxswain Lexi Messina, stroke Lauren Newth, Celia McCarthy, Elsie Olin, Eva O’Sullivan, Anne Kyriss, Aliyah Blidner, Lena Angel, and bow Sasha Darmon, ended the day with an impressive showing of power. The Hingham fifth varsity quickly found their stride off the line and powered well past the field, putting open water between themselves and the nearest boat by the midway point of the race, finishing several boat lengths ahead of their nearest competitor in yet another dominant showing. Meanwhile, the sixth varsity bolted past the Hanover entry and found themselves in a tight battle with Tabor’s third boat. Both boats pour everything they had into the race, with neither able to open a gap on the other. In the end, Tabor was able to gain the smallest of leads, hitting the line just four seconds before the Hingham girls. Still, it was a very impressive display from a group of rowers who have spent all season growing and improving their technique and power each week.
Next Saturday, Hingham Crew’s first, second, and third varsity boats travel to Worcester to face all of the top crew teams in the region at NEIRAs (New England Interscholastic Rowing Association). This is an incredible opportunity for Hingham Crew to showcase their skill against the very best public and private school teams across New England. On Sunday, the entire team heads to Lowell, to participate in the MPSRA (Massachusetts Public School Rowing Association) Championships, as the state champions look to defend their title against the top public school rowing programs in the state. Coach Sarah is anticipating some great performances, and urges all of the rowers to prepare for their best performances yet, “Looking ahead to final championships, all our crews will need to build upon this race by dedicating their focus solely to crew this week – eat, sleep, row, repeat – let’s go Hingham!”