Hylton poised to make move
Advertisement
Text size: small | medium | large
By HUGH RIST
For the News & Messenger
Published: April 7, 2008
Saturday, at the Walter Mess Regatta, Hylton took a step forward in its quest to challenge the Vikings, along with top programs from the Fairfax area, for rowing supremacy this season.
Despite the meet starting nearly two hours late due to inclement weather that included wind and rain, it was a very successful day for the Bulldogs, according to girls’ coach Brian Tassi.
“We were happy with the way our boats raced overall,” Tassi said. “Going in, our kids knew we had some new lineups and they were anxious to see how they stacked up with other programs in the area. I think they now have a feeling for what they have to do and a confidence in what’s happening.”
The Bulldogs’ girls’ team won two races and placed second in another on the Occoquan Saturday. Victoria Lazar and Kelly Bogart won the varsity double race with a time of 8:19.5. Tassi said Lazar and Bogart will remain in the double for at least one more week, but may eventually move to a quad later in the season.
Hylton’s light four of stroke seat Jill Williams, three-seat Allie Casillas, two-seat Aubrey Timmons, and bow Melissa Bearden won the event with a time of 6:01.6, more than eight seconds ahead of Yorktown. Patricia Clark coxed the winning boat.
The Bulldogs’ first quad of bow Nyra Towles, three-seat Whitney Howerton, two-seat Alyssa Uperti, and stroke Tara Orr, also ran a strong race, finishing in second place, just two seconds behind McLean.
Hylton boys’ coach Jason Boynton said he was “like a proud father” in describing how well his rowers did. He mentioned that the Bulldogs’ novice four of Richie Dominguez, Gorden Struck, Rocky Hearn and Chris Anderson placed first in an event contested at a different course and concurrent with some of the varsity events due to the weather conditions. Boynton noted that the results of these events were unofficial, but were still significant to the emergence of the Hylton rowing program.
Boynton also said he was happy with the performances of Hylton’s first varsity four of David Drewett, Drew Casebere, William Cho, and John Strang, which placed second at 5:23.8.
Though Hylton made a strong showing, Woodbridge still had a couple standout boats.
Woodbridge’s first four of Tyler Dawson, Matt Doody, Val Stutz and J. C. Fisher won the race at 5:05.5, a full 18 seconds ahead of the Bulldogs.
Vikings coach Mike Malak said he was pleased with the performance of his rowers.
“I thought we handled the adverse weather conditions well and stuck to our race plan,” Malak said. “It’s dif-ficult to know how our rowers stack up against other teams because you don’t know what other coaches are doing with their lineups. Right now a lot of teams are racing eights, but some of the eights will (probably) end up in fours by the end of the season.”
The Woodbridge girls’ first varsity eight were matched against defending national champion Cathedral and state champion Robinson, but finished a solid third.
Robinson got off to a strong start at the 100-meter mark and left the field behind, Malak said. The lineup consisted of stroke Allison Mayberry, Paula Coughlin, Laura Doody, Katherine Changes, Kaelynn Benedicto, Kristina Janitschek, Beth Couch, and Catherine Tallman in bow. Danielle Woods served as the boat’s cox-swain.
The logistics of the regatta rendered it literally a mess for spectators with races held simultaneously for much of the event.
Next up for area crew fans will be the Smokey Jacobs Regatta, which will begin this Saturday at 9 a.m. at Sandy Run Regional Park.
Prince William Rowing Club hosts free Learn to Row days
The Prince William Rowing Club, in hopes of increasing awareness of and participation in rowing in the area, will host one Learn to Row Day in each of the next three months, according to communications director Mike Cox. The events, which are free of charge, will be held at the Lake Ridge Marina on April 20, May 4, and June 14th.
For further information, prospective rowers can contact Cox at 571-237-5849.
Post a Comment
The commenting period has ended or commenting has been deactivated for this article.
Can't find what you're looking for? Try our quick search:
