August 26, 2026 submitted by Jean Schnorr
Team HMC caps an exciting summer with international competition in St. Catharines, Ontario
Hingham Maritime Center rowers took their summer racing to an international stage this August, traveling to St. Catharines, Ontario, to compete in the 142nd Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.
Representing Team HMC were coxswains Ginger Niehoff and Reagan Puleo, along with rowers Milly Martin, Natalie Shaw, Eliza Powers, Annie Sargent, June Rogan, Ellie White, Stella Gutierrez and Megan Buckley.
Leading the team was Head Coach D
ave Martin, whose rowing résumé spans the globe. A former member of Great Britain’s Junior and U23 National Teams and a Henley Royal Regatta champion, Martin has coached internationally at the highest levels, including the Sydney Olympic Games, and guided crews to medals at the World Junior, U23 and World Cup Championships. He also serves as Assistant Girls Coach for Hingham High Crew.
For the athletes, coaches and families, Henley was the culmination of an exciting summer of training and racing. Early mornings on Hingham Harbor led to the opportunity to line up against talented crews from across North America on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
The regatta also presented a new challenge for many of the HMC athletes: racing the full 2,000-meter distance for the first time. High school rowing races are typically 1,500 meters, making the additional 500 meters an important step up in both endurance and race strategy.
Team HMC raced four 2,000-meter events during the week, beginning with two boats in the U19 Women’s Coxed Four. The four stroked by Stella Gutierrez crossed the line in 7:59.02, while the four stroked by Eliza Powers finished just behind in 8:00.70.
The athletes then came together to race up an age division in the U23 Women’s 8+, stroked by Milly Martin, finishing the 2,000-meter course in 7:40.56.
The week culminated with the team’s primary event, the U19 Women’s 8+. With Martin again in the stroke seat, HMC delivered one of its strongest rows of the summer, finishing in 7:03.520 and placing 12th out of 27 crews overall. Their time would have qualified them for the semifinals from a different heat.
While the result was impressive, what mattered most was how the athletes felt when they came off the water: proud of the row they had put together and proud of how they had raced as a crew.
That final 2,000 meters was a fitting finish to a summer built on early mornings, hard work and a shared commitment to getting faster together.
The trip to Canada was also very much a family and community effort. Getting athletes, coaches and equipment to an international regatta takes significant planning and support, and Hingham Maritime Center is incredibly grateful to the parents and families who helped with transportation, chaperoning, logistics and countless details behind the scenes. Special thanks go to Erin Gutierrez, Liza MacKinnon and Dan White for the time and effort they gave to helping make the trip possible.
HMC is equally grateful to Coach Martin, HMC Rowing Director Sarah Dewey and the HMC coaching team for the expertise, encouragement and many hours they invested in these athletes throughout the summer.
For Hingham Maritime Center, Henley was about more than race results. It was about giving young rowers the chance to test themselves against strong competition, experience rowing at a new level and see where their hard work can take them.
From summer mornings training on Hingham Harbor to the starting line at the Royal Canadian Henley, it was an experience these athletes and their families will remember for a long time.
Hingham Maritime Center could not be prouder of Team HMC—and could not be more grateful to the coaches, parents and families who helped them get there.