October 28, 2026 Submitted By J.P. Powers / Photos by Wes Darlington and Kristin Buckley
This Sunday, on a picturesque fall day with barely a cloud in the sky, temperatures at race time that reached the mid-60s, and barely a ripple disturbing the surface of the Merrimack River in Lowell, the best public school rowing teams in Massachusetts lined up to once again crown the best rowers of the season.
After winning their first state rowing title in 2013, Hingham Crew had been shut out until the fall of 2024, when they finally broke through for their first championship in 11 years. Since that time, Hingham has been on an unprecedented run, capturing championships in three of the past four seasons.
At the Massachusetts Public School Rowing Association Championships on Sunday, they battled hard all day and emerged with their fourth title in the past five seasons. Not only did the team win the coveted Richard W. Stavros Team Trophy, the girls also captured the Russ Krauss Award as the overall girls eights champions.
The boys first novice powers toward a bronze finish
The boys first novice boat, with coxswain Connor DeGrass, stroke Caleb Bryant, Graham Hansmire, Ethan Strauss, James Sartor, Owen Govoni, Jacob Selkirk, Jack MacDonald, and bow Quinn Smith, came flying out of the gate. In a seven-boat field, they submitted a stellar time and found the podium with a bronze medal finish, putting invaluable points on the board.
The first novice girls rowed an exceptional race
The girls first novice boat, with coxswain Lucy Shaughnessy, stroke Autumn Dockrey, Delia Fleck, Holly Seggev, Mary Kate Casey, Lexie Grimm, Emily LeClair, Charlotte Gregory, and bow Lexa Sabattis, faced off against a strong nine-boat field, finishing fourth and just barely missing the medal stand. The strong effort in a large field put more valuable points on the board for the team in the race for the overall points title.
The girls novice rowers are all smiles after a couple of tremendous races
The girls second novice fights for every meter along the course
The girls second novice boat, with coxswain Kiara Parekh, stroke Laura Safarik, Mary Zandbergen, Lucy Donnelly, Anabelle Reale, Molly Shea, Nadia Paris, Lizzy Beaulieu, and bow Lily Darlington, scored a massive win by more than three minutes over Brookline, securing yet more points for the team and demonstrating how bright the future is for the talent pipeline.
Girls Head Coach Sydney Blasetti was enthusiastic about the results from the newest Hingham rowers, “Every single athlete played a part in this championship, and that’s what makes it so special. As a coach, there’s nothing more rewarding than watching a group of athletes come together, believe in themselves and each other, and accomplish something they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.”
The boys first varsity warms up with a quick jog before tussling with the top teams in the region
The boys first varsity powers towards the line, showing terrific grit
The boys first varsity, with coxswain Reagan Puleo, stroke Spencer Farish, Landy Vittorini, Ben Ferguson, Ben Hansmire, Martin Seggev, Nate Bradl, Aedan Sullivan, and bow Andrew Accetella, found themselves in an extremely fast heat. Blasting off the line, the boys battled hard all the way through the finish, coming up just short of the medal stand but demonstrating plenty of power and talent as they continue to develop as a young and formidable force. Boys Head Coach Sarah Dewey was proud of her young rowers.“The first varsity boat rowed beautifully and had a great race, but were ultimately outgunned by formidable competition — they are excited to close the gap by spring!”
The boys second varsity storms to a silver medal
The boys second varsity are pumped about their strong race
The boys second varsity, with coxswain Liam Govoni, stroke Will Vanderweil, Seph Darlington, Miles McLucas, Huck Shaughnessy, Fox Clarke, Asher Ellis, Colin Alexander, and bow Mike Lane, powered ahead of several entries, including archrival Duxbury, whom they defeated to secure a silver medal and yet more crucial team points.
The boys third varsity (foreground) prepares to launch while the second varsity (background) heads to battle the opposition
The boys third varsity piles up the points with a tremendous silver effort
In the boys third varsity race, coxswain Myles Figueroa, stroke Michael Catalfano, Euan Chesney-Douglas, Griffin Burke, Tyler Lishman, Oliver Hurkchand, Henry Drews, Diego Figueroa, and bow Cole Sulliver would also submit a terrific race as they blasted to a critical silver medal finish.
Boys Head Coach Sarah Dewey was happy to see the intense training regimen paying dividends. “All the boys coaches are incredibly proud of the efforts of our team this fall. Every boat from top to bottom has worked their hardest to make the most of our time on the water and each crew came together to make our team happy and productive. This is the important foundation for future speed.”
The girls first varsity is fast and relentless as they streak towards the medal stand
The girls first varsity, with coxswain Ginger Niehoff, stroke Emme Beaudoin, Natalie Shaw, Eliza Powers, Ellie White, June Rogan, Megan Buckley, Stella Gutierrez, and bow Bianca Kiley, rowed one of their best races of the season. Chasing down an opposing boat and flashing impressive power, the girls took home a silver medal in the eight-boat field, missing gold by a fraction of a second.
The second varsity pushed so far ahead of the field that they chased down boats who had a massive head start like Brookline (left) and Boston Latin (right)
The second varsity, with coxswain Grace Mullen, stroke Neve Brown, Eme Bias, Abby Zimmerman, Annie Sargent, Lyla Wagner, Ava Kelly, Coco Prohm, and bow Peyton Burke, absolutely dominated their field, finishing 17 seconds ahead of their nearest competitor and earning a well-deserved gold medal for their efforts.
Hingham’s third varsity opens up a wide gap on the field
The third varsity, with coxswain Ashley Sinkus, stroke Lena Angel, Haley Kost, Veronica Webb, Celia McCarthy, Rose Lovendale, Sasha Darmon, Shelby Stroka, and bow Mariella Del Sesto, put together a monster performance, beating the second-place boat by a massive 25-second margin and demonstrating the depth of Hingham’s rowing team.
The girls fourth varsity is locked in as they head to the start
Hingham Crew Are Champions Once Again!
The fourth varsity girls power down the course
In Hingham’s final race of the day, the fourth varsity girls, with coxswain Liv Wadleigh, stroke Claire Wang, Sherry Xu, Ali Rosetti, Lexi Messina, Annie Melia, Abby Farris, Audrey Lambert, and bow Fiona Galvin, put up a very fast time and garnered yet more points for the team. With so many talented athletes in the pipeline, Hingham showed a level of depth that bodes well for future championship aspirations.
Hingham Crew gets the traditional police escort back through town as the newest Massachusetts champs
Captains Ginger Neihoff, June Rogan, and Annie Sargent celebrate Hingham’s newest title with Coach Sydney Blasetti
Coach Sarah Dewey celebrates the state title with captains Ben Ferguson, Spencer Farish, and Nate Bradl
After a police escort back to town, where they passed by cheering crowds of supporters, the boys and girls gathered at the high school to celebrate the latest run of success by the town’s rowing team. Coach Sydney reflected on the importance of this win, despite all of the obstacles the team faced throughout the season. “I couldn’t be prouder of this team. We faced a lot of challenges this season, but these girls never backed down. They showed up every day, put in the work, and were relentless in their determination to get better. I’ve always believed that championships aren’t necessarily won by the teams with the fastest individual erg times, but by the teams that believe in each other, trust one another, and are willing to fight for something bigger than themselves. That’s exactly what these girls did. I feel incredibly lucky to coach this group of girls, and I couldn’t be prouder to be their coach.”
Hingham’s incredible and dedicated coaching staff proudly displays their new hardware
2026 Massachusetts Fall Champions: Hingham Crew