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.