NAC shines at Southwest Youth Championships

The Newport Aquatic Center turned in excellent performances at the USRowing Southwest Youth Championships on Lake Natoma last weekend.

The highlight: for the first time in six years, NAC took home the Men’s Overall Points Trophy, as the best junior men’s rowing program in the Southwest Region (California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah).

NAC also had seven boats grab victories, including five that qualified for the Youth National Championships, which will be June 10-12 in West Windsor, N.J.

Newport Sea Base Rowing will also be present there, as the program, still in its infant stages, made a bit of history at the Southwest Youth Championships. Newport Sea Base Rowing is the only second-year program to send two boats to the national championships, according to a USRowing official.

NAC was the talk of the Southwest Youth Championships in Sacramento, where 38 teams raced in various divisions down a 2000-meter fully buoyed course to claim their ranking throughout the region.

The NAC Men’s Lightweight 4+, Men’s Open 4+, Men’s Novice 4+, Men’s Novice 8+ “B,” Men’s Novice 8+ “C” boats won, as did the Women’s Lightweight 8+ and Women’s Novice 8+ “C.”

The NAC Men’s Lightweight 4+ and Women’s Lightweight 8+, as well as second-place medal winners Men’s Varsity 8+, Men’s Varsity 4+ and Women’s Varsity 8+ qualified for the national championships.

Those in the boats are: Men’s Lightweight 4+ (Coxswain - Natasha Ellis, Stroke - Evan Krum, Simon Dillon, Jake Marlo, Wesley Reynolds); Men’s Varsity 8+ (Coxswain - Ethan Ruiz, Stroke - Evan Krum, Will Warwick, Caleb O’Neil, Anthony Morrell, Angus Batstone, Reid Rolfes, Jason Goode, Chad Kanner); Women’s Lightweight 8+ (Coxswain - Charlie Toffel, Paige Warmington, Abby Buggeln, Katherine Hunter, Valerie Hunter, Sophie Leon, Malia Smith, Kiana Viceroy, Alyx Golan); Women’s Varsity 8+ (Coxswain - Karly Pearson, Stroke - Gretchen Shoenberger, Savanah Hapsic, Rylee Gladych, Peyton Matthews, Caroline Chavos, Elizabeth Woods, Katherine Hunter, Eden Heit).

Newport Sea Base Rowing is sending nine rowers to the national championships.

Kendall Fearnley earned the Women’s 1X win in the single scull event to qualify for the national championships.

Newport Sea Base Rowing’s Men’s Varsity Lightweight 8+ crew of Bella Lutz (coxswain), Jake Sliker, Rex Kathkart, Alex Green, Phil Bradburne, Elisha Cameron, Matt Clarkson, Jake Green and Evan Ilkcagla finished second at regionals and qualified to compete in New Jersey.

— Compiled by Steve Virgen with reader submissions