In their last two regattas of the year, the Rangers crew team proved to be nothing short of dominant. Following their best ever finish at Stotesbury Cup, the Rangers carried this momentum to the U.S. Rowing Youth Championship, ending the season on a high note.
Entering the most prestigious regatta of the year, Coach Fife had high expectations for his team in Philly. In the Stotesbury Cup, the Rangers were able to take home a top 5 finish in all three events they participated in, exceeding Fife’s expectations.
In the Boys Senior Eight competition, Joey Merkel ’16 and Mitchell Opatowski ’15 led their team to a second place finish in the semifinal, advancing them to the finals the following day. The team dominated the next day, taking home a fourth place finish in the event filled with the nation’s best rowers.
The other team, known as the Boys Second Eight and led by Tim Marron ’16, competed at an extremely high level, exceeding expectations. In an extremely close final heat, the Rangers took home the bronze medal, finishing ahead of some of the top ranked teams in the country.
As expected, Marron was extremely happy with how his team competed, stating, “we set the bar high going into it and did not slow down.” Marron added that, “once the race concluded, we were all extremely excited to take home third place.”
The final Rangers team participating, the Boys Freshman Eight, exceeded all expectations, finishing first in their semifinal heat. In the final heat, the Rangers finished fifth overall, carrying over the success from the older boats.
Overall, Coach Fife was very happy with how his team performed, stating, “they exceeded my expectations in the event and competed at a high level.” Fife went on to say that his team “worked hard all year and showed improvement as the season went on.”
Luckily, the Rangers were able to carry the success over to the USRowing Youth National Championships, putting up the best numbers in Jesuit’s history. After all the Rangers teams participated in the event, Jesuit finished a top 5 team in the country, a strong reflection of their hard work all year.
In the lightweight events, the Rangers posted stellar numbers. In the lightweight A group, the Rangers won their first heat and finished fourth in the semifinals. In the B group, the Rangers were dominant, finishing first in the event and finishing ranked 7th in the nation in lightweight events.
The boys varsity eight, consisting of the same group that participated in the Stotesbury Cup, competed at a high level in the event, finishing fourteenth overall. Despite the 14th place finish, the Rangers came out of the event ranked second in the nation.
The Rangers crew team has put in hard work all year and clearly it has shown. With one of their best seasons in recent history, Coach Fife as well as each rower deserves recognition for their hard work and dedication.
