22 of Connecticut Boat Club’s athletes have qualified for the USRowing National Championship! 22 athletes represents about a third of the club which will be an incredible presence at the Championship this year.
The Northeast Regionals took place this past weekend, May 18-19 where CBC competed in 9 of the women’s events. Kicking off the racing for our Norwalk based team was our pair (2-) including Caroline Krantz at stroke and Annika Nelson in bow seat. The duo kicked off the weekend strong for the club by winning their heat and ultimately winning the grand final on Sunday by 9 seconds ahead of Greenwich Rowing 2-. This pair will be looking to race hard at Nationals to defend their national champions title from 2023. We are so excited to support them and cheer hard for them. 2 Peat please!
Izzy Khamish led the CBC Varsity 4+ with her stroke Miya Lee, 3 seat Reagan Weneck, 2 seat Sylvia Freidenrich and bow seat Maddy Dodge. In this crews first time racing together, they placed 10th place in the heat on Saturday, securing their seat in the semi final where they completed the course 8 seconds faster than their heat time trial! In the grand final the 4+ finished in 6th place 2 seconds behind the Saugatuck boat. The 2V4x A boat had an undefeated weekend with senior leader and stroke, Charlotte Volz! The crew swept their competition in both the heat and the finals race with significant open water. Charlotte was supported by super star Ellie Lennon, Charlotte Mickelborough and Iso McCoy. Bow pair McCoy and Mickelborough will be returning for their senior year at CBC in the Fall and are more than likely to have a kicker 2024/25 year! In the same event the B boat was led by Kate McDonald in stroke, Riley Cavanna in 3 seat, Holly Hulme in 2 seat and Elle Arnold in bow. In the crews first time racing together, senior leaders Arnold and Cavanna helped the crew secure 4th place in both events this weekend. We are so proud of both crews for representing CBC in the best way and being incredible teammates to one another.
Our Varsity Quad was a boat packed with 4 seniors. Audrey Sears stroked, Lila Seidenberg raced in 3 seat, Ava Weneck led bow pair from 2 seat, and CBC Captain Charlotte Maschoff bowed the boat. This was one of the crowd favorite events of the weekend. The competition was sharp and our girls responded to such pressure. In the Saturday heat race the CBC 4x placed 4th in the time trail, only 1 second off of 3rd place finisher! In the semi final race the crew had a clean 2nd place finish, allowing them to save their legs for the finals race later that day. In the grand final the crew finished in 5th place and earned a seat at the Nationals table by being the next up boat when other crews scratched the event at Nationals. The girls are stoked for this second chance and cannot wait to compete at the Nationals level.
The CBC 4- followed in the 2- and 2V4x footsteps and also swept the competition this weekend in both their heat and finals race. The crew composed of Caroline Krantz, Annika Nelson, Sophie Bell and Callaghan Nickerson is Nationals bound! They are making history and leaving their legacy as they are the first crew to ever win the 4- for CBC. As for our middle schoolers, they won a silver medal this weekend in the grand final. The girls raced in the U16 4x+ and dominated! The coxed quad was led by middle school coxswain, Arwen Leopold. In stroke seat she had Leelee Alix, 3 seat Emily Goertel, 2 seat Catherine Parent and bow seat Noelle Basta. The crews talent is undeniable, especially Noelle as she raced in both U17 and U16 events and earned podium placements in both!
As mentioned in the spoiler, Noelle Basta bowed the Novice 4+ as well and contributed to her boats gold medal! Layla Sisca is a name we have heard often this spring season and without a doubt she was the stroke of this boat. Supporting both Sisca and Basta was Katie Estabrook in 3 seat and 2 seat Alexandra Maniatty. The boat was coxed by AJ Kompiewska who has had a dominate first season with CBC. This event split the heats into 3 categories where first and second place finishers advanced to the final. AJ led her crew to the 2nd fastest time overall in the heat but fastest in her heat. In the grand final on Sunday AJ and Layla finished the race 9 seconds ahead of 2nd place finisher, Narragansett Boat Club. We certainly wish there was an opportunity for this category to race at Nationals but the girls will continue to train at CBC head quarters and move into other racing categories in the near future!
Allison Murray drove the U17 4+ straight to a silver medal on Sunday! Kamryn Morgenstern stroked, rising dev team stars Katie Estabrook (3 seat) and Layla Sisca (2 seat) and seasoned bow Norah Surette rounded out the crew that is heading to Nationals for the second year in a row! The crew proved to race well with competition lined up next to them as they went from a 5th place finish in the time trial on Saturday to a 2nd place finish in the grand final on Sunday. Great work motivating the crew, Allison! Speaking of Nationals bound, the U17 quad is also heading the big race! With Leighton Busby in stroke the crew dominated this weekend. The U17 4x earned a bronze medal at the end of the Regional Championship. This boat was a force with Tanaya Dixit supporting Leighton in stern pair, and Christina Charnin and Katherine Wartels in bow pair. We are so proud of you girls and cannot wait to see you race your hearts out at Nationals! You can do anything you set your mind to.
The U17 8+ was coxed by the youngest of the Khamish sisters, Mishi and stroked by Alexandra Maniatty, 7 seat Sophia Kearns, 6 seat Camilla Calderwood, 5 seat Charlotte Reynolds, 4 seat Catherine Parent, 3 seat Sienna Hoyos, 2 seat Sara Alfieri and bow seat Kristina Prasens. Roughly half of the boat is in their first year or rowing/racing so to race in this advanced category was a big ask but they stepped up to the plate. The crew earned a bronze medal this weekend, in addition to a ton of racing experience! We cannot wait to see how great this group of young rowers will continue to do in our sport, their future is bright. The Women’s youth 2nd 4+ had a strong weekend! 4 seat Melaina Kenin, 3 seat Layla Morris, 2 seat Lucia Noecker and bow seat Gwyneth Horn beat The Winsor School in the grand final whom they had got 2nd place to in the heat race. Melaina led her crew to a 12 second lead in the final against Windsor after loosing to them by 3 seconds in the time trail. WOW! What a way to cross the finish line.
Coach Sweitzer did an amazing job training his novice 8+ girls this season! The 8+ was coxed by Mishi Khamish, stroke Leelee Alix, 7 seat Lauren Ring, 6 seat Camilla Calderwood, 5 seat Sophia Kearns, 4 seat Charlotte Reynolds, 3 seat Sienna Hoyos, 2 seat Caitlyn Getty, and bow seat Emily Barnes. The 8+ had a second place finish in their heat miles ahead of their competitors. In the grand final they finished 5th place, racing against crews that had qualified from other heats. Rounding out the Novice category, the team was represented in the double category by Kristina Prasens and Sara Alfieri. The girls finished with the fastest time in their category on Saturday and on Sunday they finished 5th overall. The double was extremely fun to watch and cheer for and we are sure that they will continue to practice in their small boats this summer and be ready for a Nationals placement next year! Practice makes perfect for sure!
We are proud of all boats and extend an extra congratulations to our Regional Champions in the 2V 4x, Novice 4+,Varsity 4-, Varsity 2- and bronze place finisher U17 8+. CBC is heading to Nationals and we hope that you tune in to cheer for us! #goCBC
