SHS 1st Boys Claim a Spot in NEIRA Grand Finals on May 24; Finish Sixth Overall

The SHS 1st Boys Boat bested top-seeded boats to place second in their qualifying heat at the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association Championships at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, MA on May 24. The NEIRA is a daylong event for approximately 900 oarsmen and oarswomen rowing in several hundred boats representing 30 schools. The day began with cloudy skies but ended up sunny with variable winds.

Simsbury High School entered six boats in the competition. Due to the large number of participants, teams competed in qualifying heats in the morning to determine which crews would row in the afternoon finals. In the 1st and 2nd Boat categories, 18 crews fought for six slots in the finals. In the 3rd boat categories, 12 crews competed for six positions in the finals.

Battling several New England rowing powerhouses, the 1st Boys, who were seeded fourth in their heat, seized second place with a time of 4:28.241, 1.57 seconds behind Tabor and .05 seconds ahead of third-place Salisbury. This made the SHS 1st Boys Boat the first Simsbury 1st Boys Boat final qualifiers in nearly a decade. In the Grand Final, the Simsbury crew put up a valiant fight but ultimately succumbed to faster crews, finishing sixth overall. The 1st Boys boat crew includes: Alex Picken (coxswain), Nicholas Carabillo (stroke), Jack Polizzi, Billy Fahan, Brendan Murphy, Daniel Sparks, Trey Proctor, Calvin Krikorian, and Zachary Korten (bow).

The 1st Girls Boat finished fourth in their heat with a time of 5:09.941, qualifying them for the Petite Finals. In 1st Boat categories, 1st and 2nd place winners of heats advance to the Grand Finals while 3rd and 4th place compete in a Petite Final, battling for seventh to twelfth place overall. In the Petites, the 1st Girls triumphed over top-notch crews and took first place with a time of 5:09.897, .709 seconds ahead of second-place Northfield Mount Hermon. They finished 7th overall. The 1st Girls boat crew includes: Brenna Kelly (coxswain), Helen Moore (stroke), Rebecca Grandahl, Caroline Hendershot, Kaitlyn May, Allison May, Elizabeth Austin, Stephanie Sickinger, and Carolyn Croke (bow).

Both the 1st Boys and Girls Boats move forward to compete the weekend of June 7 in the inaugural National Schools Championship Regatta in Saratoga Springs, NY. 

For many of the seniors, this was the final race of their high school careers. For a full listing of the race results, or more information, check out www.simsburycrew.org or follow the team on Twitter at @simsburycrew.