April 22, 2025 by J.P. Powers
This Saturday, on a beautiful spring afternoon in Shrewsbury on Lake Quinsigamond, Hingham Crew opened the racing season at the Exeter Invitational. Hingham faced off against local powerhouses Exeter, Kent, Boston Latin, Simsbury, and St. John’s, demonstrating plenty of early-season poise and promise. With a light cloud cover, temperatures hovering near 80 degrees, and strong, 15-20 mph westerly cross head winds (gusts to 35 mph), conditions were challenging, but favorable. Unlike the Fall Head Racing, which is a longer, timed race, Spring Sprint Racing requires boats to line up across from one another and race all out for approximately 1,500 meters. The races are a test of a team’s ability to maintain their power and precise rowing motion in an all-out sprint to the finish line.
In the first race of the day, the girls second varsity, with coxswain Maddie Owens, stroke Lulu Orth, Bianca Kiley, June Rogan, Aubrey Fairfield, Lydia D’Arcy, Ellie White, Coco Prohm, and bow Isabelle Wagner got Hingham off to a very fast start, beating the Boston Latin and Simsbury boats on their way to a third-place finish. The close finish between the top three boats bodes well for a strong season from the seasoned and powerful Hingham rowers. It was an impressive start for the strong mix of seasoned athletes and newly-promoted varsity rowers.
In the second race, Hingham’s boys fourth varsity, with coxswain Myles Figeroa, stroke Brendan Conroy, Xavier Bogen, Luca Arienti, Ryan Potter, Sam Whitrap, Fox Clarke, Hmood Al-Quthami, and bow Huck Shaughnessy showed a lot of poise as they charged off the line. The boys look to be in fine form as they continue to develop their technique and show ever-increasing skill. As Coach Dave Deluliis said, “We’ve put in some hard work and we’re making progress, and I’m excited to see how much stronger we’ll get as the season continues.”
The Hingham girl’s fourth varsity, with coxswain Ashley Sinkus, stroke Veronica Webb, Haley Kost, Taylor Sargeant, Eva O’Sullivan, Rose Lovendale, Ava Kelly, Annie Kyriss, and bow Celia McCarthy, went head-to-head with Exeter, scoring a massive win by almost 20 seconds. The girls showed the depth and power of the Hingham team, easily beating one of the best rowing programs in the region.
Next up, the boys third varsity, with coxswain Henry Hoch, stroke Liam Connolly, Martin Seggev, Will Whitrap, Jack O’Leary, Aedan Sullivan, Ben Hansmire, Liam Govoni, and bow Seph Darlington, had possibly the most exciting race of the day. In an incredibly tightly-contested affair, the four boats, Exeter, Kent, Hingham, and St. John’s battled neck and neck for the lead along the entire length of the course. In the end, Hingham edged out St. John’s by a little more than a second, as they grabbed third place, just over a second after Kent hit the line. For the first effort of the season, the boys demonstrated plenty of power and skill, promising a strong season ahead. Coach Deluliis was impressed with the gritty showing from the boys, “I’m proud of how the boys raced this weekend – they showed grit, composure, and a commitment to pushing their limits.”
The Hingham girls third varsity, with a number of talented and experienced rowers, secured a very strong second place finish, besting Kent and Boston Latin. With coxswain Ginger Neihoff, stroke Stella Gutierrez, Eme Bias, Jane Betti, Peyton Burke, Madeline Kittinger, Annie Sargeant, Elsie Olin, and bow Abrielle Beaudoin, the girls powered through the challenging wind conditions and nearly overtook the powerful Exeter boat near the finish line. It was a very exciting showing for a boat with enormous promise.
The boys second varsity, with coxswain Jordan Brown, stroke Owen Cerrato, Landy Vittorini, Brendan Engel, Hector Munoz, Spencer Farish, Lucas Mangili, Gerard Bottini, and bow Zakary Robbins, showed great fight against extremely strong competitors. The Hingham boys finished amidst a flurry of other boats, beating out the Simsbury entry and demonstrating great early season power. Boys head coach Sarah Dewey is excited about the boys ability to overcome adversity and fight hard, “Dave and I are super proud of the effort the boys put into their races. In spite of some gusty crosswinds and lack of water time, all the crews executed their race plans and rowed bravely for each other throughout the course.” Expect big things to come from the boys as they continue to grow at every opportunity.
The next race featured the girls first varsity, with coxswain Emily Gu, stroke Sophia Santarelli, Natalie Shaw, Maeve Schnorr, Thea Migliaccio, Emme Beaudoin, Eliza Powers, Ava Sugrue, and bow Lynnayah Ryan. While the girls got off to a blazing fast start, the race was interrupted after a rower on a competing boat suffered a mishap and officials allowed the boats a re-start. After a brief pause to re-order the boats, the girls were off and running. The Hingham girls fought valiantly from start to finish, as they battled the windy conditions and submitted an excellent first race.
In the final race of the day, the boys first varsity, with coxswain Brent Strauss, stroke Sam Ackerman, Arlo Maxwell, Will Barry, Lucas Mangili, Slater Fairfield, Oliver McLucas, Hanley Stroka, and bow Nicholas Mangili rowed a terrific race as they battled some very strong boats. In the end, the Hingham boys managed to beat both Boston Latin and Simsbury to the finish as they showed a ton of early-season promise. Coach Sarah Dewey says of the boys, “We are on a mission with a ‘Take No Prisoners’ approach. We are fired up to race this season and look forward to challenging some of these schools again.” It was a terrific start to the season for all of the rowers in their first and only tune-up as they prepare to face arch-rival Duxbury next weekend.
The team is practicing every day of April Break in preparation for one of the best and biggest rivalries in the area as Hingham Crew takes on Duxbury Crew in the Salty Bow Regatta. The race will be held next Sunday, April 27th, right in Hingham Harbor. It will be a great opportunity to check out the excitement of sprint racing, with terrific views available from the Hingham Bathing Beach. There will be food and drinks available for purchase at the event in addition to Hingham Crew merchandise as the rowers compete for the coveted Salty Bow Trophy.
Please check out the Hingham High Crew website https://www.hinghamhighcrew.com/ for more information as the race gets closer.