Westport Rowers Score Double Victory At Youth National Championships

WESTPORT, Conn. – In a repeat double victory unprecedented in U.S. junior rowing, for the second year in a row, Westport’s Saugatuck Rowing Club Juniors claimed two national championships at the USRowing Youth National Championships, June 10-12 in West Windsor, N.J., and the men’s pair powered to bronze.

SRC women's youth 8+ and women's lightweight youth 8+ with SRC junior girls head coach Gordon Getsinger, of Darien.
Photo Credit: *Contributed*

The Saugatuck Rowing Club women's youth lightweight 8+ celebrates post-win.
Photo Credit: *Jay Polansky*

Nicole Briggs

06/17/2016 2:00 p.m.

Winning national championships were the SRC’s women’s youth 8+ and women’s lightweight youth 8+ boats. Also medaling was SRC’s men’s youth pair, Westport’s Oliver Bub and Lucas Manning, taking the bronze.

Last year, Saugatuck became only the second club ever to win both women’s 8+ events at nationals in the same year. This year’s national victory by the SRC women’s youth 8+ also capped the dominant crew’s second undefeated year in a row, in which it repeated youth rowing’s “triple crown” – winning the Head of the Charles Regatta, San Diego Crew Classic and Youth National Championships.

“We sent among our largest group of athletes ever to nationals this year,” said Sharon Kriz, SRC junior director and boys head coach. “Qualifying for nationals is an accomplishment in itself, and the strong races our crews delivered in West Windsor against the top crews from across the country were impressive.”

Nearly 180 rowing clubs from 30 states competed in this year’s championship.

Also competing at youth nationals were the Saugatuck Rowing Club men’s youth 8+, men’s lightweight youth 8+, men’s youth 4+, women’s youth 4+, women’s lightweight youth 4+, and a men’s youth single, rowed by Silviu Tudor of Fairfield.

The winning SRC boats included the following:

Women’s Youth 8+ (gold): Lelia Boley (Westport), Tatiana Chermayeff (Rowayton), Grace McGinley (Westport), Kelsey McGinley (Westport), Charlotte Powers, coxswain (Fairfield), Caroline O’Brien (Darien), Elisabeth O’Brien (Darien), Imogen Ratcliffe (Westport), and Willemijn ten Cate (Westport).

Women’s Lightweight Youth 8+ (gold): Noelle Amlicke (Westport), Parker Cuthbertson (Westport), Grace Johnson (Westport), Camila Meyer-Bosse (Westport), Sophie Pendrill (Scarsdale), Eden Schumer, coxswain (Westport), Catherine Notarfrancesco, (Fairfield), Evan Shorrock (Westport), and Sanna ten Cate (Westport).

Men’s Youth 2- (bronze): Oliver Bub (Westport) and Lucas Manning (Westport).

Click here for more information about the Saugatuck Rowing Club.

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