NAC sends six teams to nationals
Newport Aquatic Center’s junior crew team clinched six berths in the
national championships to be held Saturday and Sunday in Cincinnati.
At the Southwest Regional Rowing Championships at Lake Natoma May
10-11, the women’s varsity eight boat of Esther Lofgren, Sara Wales,
Jessica Fritz, Laurie Dabney, Jill Austin, Erica Van Steenis,
Meredith Irby, Jean Geddes and coxswain Lauren Lorman posted a time
of seven minutes, 5.50 seconds to earn a spot in the national
championships. Joining them will be the women’s varsity double (Irby
and Geddes at 8:38.61), the women’s varsity quad of Lofgren, Fritz,
Dana Hunt and Anne Kircher (7:43.80), the men’s varsity quad of
Brandon Dillman, Greg Somers, Greg Schneider and Graham
Brant-Zawadzki (6:54.80), the men’s varsity double of Morgan Sabo and
Blake Foster (7:40.38) and Dillman in the men’s varsity single scull
(8:09.50).
The NAC women, coached by Christy Shaver, took first-place honors
for the first time in the center’s history. The men, coached by
Rachel Rose and Paul Prioleau, placed third overall. In individual
events, NAC brought home a total of six gold, eight silver and six
bronze medals.
Michael Dabney and Kevin Song won a gold in the men’s pair with a
7:56.70 while Ken Ito, Matt Siemonsma, Michael Matthews and Aaron
Cohen posted a 7:23.82 to capture first place in the men’s
intermediate quad.
Two novice women’s eight boats claimed silver medals. Ashly Vale,
Erica Van Steenis, Jill Austin, Nancy Balt, Nita Grubb, Christina
Campbell, Mia Ito and Tiffany Lucas, coxed by Annika Overby, finished
in 7:21.07 while Marjon Bahremand, Shelby McKenna, Anna Oatman,
Izabella Elkis, Karie Decker, Chelsea Annaya, Marlo Sciarra and
Krista Redman, with coxswain Carly Dobson, also placed second.
The women’s freshman eight team of Bahremand, Elkis, Grubb, Lucas,
Oatman, Chelsea Annaya, Marcy Beaumont and Campbell clocked a 7:43.80
to place second.
In a tight race, the women’s lightweight eight team of Claire
McKay, Raelyn Drury, Austin, Jamie Baratta, Maude Moreheart,
Beaumont, Annie Porteous and Campbell, with coxswain Jennifer Guess,
came in third in 7:36.08. McKay, Hunt, Kirsten Contino, Balt, Mitra
Grubb, Anne Kircher, Vale and Drury, with Guess as coxswain, earned a
bronze in the women’s eight with a 7:53.80.
Bronze medalists on the men’s side included the novice eight team
of Ian Stieve, Ryan Stieve, Robin Thorley, Cohen, Erik Oatman, Josh
Vann, Trey Lawrenz, Chad Wavell and coxswain Erika Gambill (6:51.47).
The men’s novice coxed quad team of Mark Morihiro, Ognjen Zivojnovic,
Ian Stieve, Tony Trevino and coxswain David Donald placed third in
8:16.19.
In women’s sculling events, McKay finished third in the varsity
single (9:23.18) while the intermediate quad team of Contino, Grubb,
Amanda Molinaro and Aubrey Farmer clocked an 8:07.7, to take first in
open water. The novice quad team of Vale, Van Steenis, Balt, McKenna
and Overby at coxswain placed second (8:19.77).
The women’s four of Contino, Hunt, Grubb and Kircher, coxed by
Kristen Collins, placed second in 8:13.22 while the women’s four of
Lofgren, Wales, Fritz and Dabney, with coxswain Lorman, won the
bronze with a 7:53.80.
The regional championships consisted of 24 different rowing clubs
competing over the two days.
NAC captured the prestigious California Cup trophy in April for
the first time since 1997.
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