The weekend of April 25–26 was a busy one for Haddonfield Crew, as they participated in two important regattas at the Cooper River. The team had a strong showing at the Garden State Scholastic Regatta on Saturday, under cool and breezy conditions. Eleven Haddonfield boats were entered into this statewide competition, which is a Qualifier Regatta for the Nationals in May. Five boats made it to the finals and four claimed medals.
The Men’s JV8+ defended the team title in this category from the previous year and won gold, with a strong finish against stiff competition. Oarsmen included Blaise Giangiulio, Luke Small, Max Levin, Alex Sperandio, Lachlan Mersky, Alex Fisher, Zach Ruggiero, Matt Schmitt and Coxswain Owen Hart. With this win, the Men’s JV8+ captured an automatic bid to compete in Nationals at the end of May.
The Women’s JV8+ won bronze in their category. Teammates Elina Kommedal, Mia Ippolito, Caroline Bolletino, Christie Castorino, Hannah Cooper, Kate Donohue, Kathleen Hohweiler, Abigail Bentley and coxswain EmmaTranfalia put together a strong performance, coming in less than three seconds behind the winning boat.
The Women’s Freshman 8+ showed great promise, winning bronze. The team included Annelise Rowling, Carlee Riordan, Chloe Fontaine, Audrey Berlin, Grace Figlioli, Kelly Brogan, Maggie Clapp, Hannah Roche and Coxswain Isabel Diavolitsis.
The Men’s Varsity 2X (Paul Hurd and John Dye) also took home a bronze medal, a significant accomplishment given their newcomer status to this category.
Haddonfield boats were back out on the water on Sunday for the annual Cooper Cup Regatta. This race features both high school and club teams from all over the mid-atlantic region and the competition is stiff.
The JV8 oarsmen continue to dominate in their category, winning gold for the fourth consecutive year. This year’s team included Blaise Giangiulio, Luke Small, Max Levin, Alex Sperandio, Lachlan Mersky, Alex Fisher, Zach Ruggiero, Matt Schmitt and Coxswain Owen Hart.
Teammates Elina Kommedal, Mia Ippolito, Caroline Bolletino, Christie Castorino, Hannah Cooper, Kate Donohue, Kathleen Hohweiler, Abigail Bentley and coxswain EmmaTranfalia continued their successful season, rowing to a gold medal finish in the Women’s JV8+ category.
The Men’s Novice 8+ (Dylan Popp, Elzey, Ethan Tranfalia, VanBuskirk, Jake Passarella, Rodrigzuez, Isaac Jacobowitz, Liam Glennon, cox Jack Brubaker) and the Women’s Novice 4+ (Xiuming Shi, Julia Sky, Bridget O’Brien, Bridget Courtney and cox Isabel Diavolitsis) each received their first gold medal of the season.
Worthy of note, the Women’s Lightweight 8+ and the Women’s Novice 8+ boats came in second in their respective heats.
Next up for Haddonfield is the prestigious Stotesbury Regatta, held on the Schuylkill River over the weekend of May 15–16.
