Sweat streaming down his face, Joseph Merkel ’16 continued to work his body to break his personal record and hopefully win the competition, the 2,000-meter race. Finishing with tired legs, he stands up amid cheers, celebrating his 2nd place finish in the race and also the breaking of a 12-year record.
On Sunday, February 7, in the Terry Center, Jesuit Crew participated in the 2016 S.W.E.A.T Regatta, and took home the coveted trophy, breaking a record while they were at it. Earning their fifth trophy at the Southwest Ergometer Amateur Tournament, Jesuit rowers competed against 500 other competitors from over 30 clubs to take home the overall men’s trophy.
At the annual S.W.E.A.T Regatta, the rowers competed on ergometers, and each competitor rowed for 2,000 meters. As the defending champions, Jesuit competed against other high schools, but the event hosted many more clubs than just high schools, as numerous college and adult age brackets also competed from around the region. Each individual competed for a chance to compete in the world championships in March.
Many of the Jesuit rowers broke personal records, establishing the tournament as a day to remember. Michael Hornung, ’18, described that “the team did really well. We had the school record broken for the 2,000-meter race, and I think that everyone broke a personal record in some way. We’re looking really fast this spring.” Strong performances from everyone on the team contributed to the overall victory and the bagging of the team trophy.
Breaking a 12-year record is not easy. But, Joseph Merkel, ’16, did just that. After breaking the record and helping to lead the team to an overall victory, he described that “S.W.E.A.T is the only regatta that we have on the ergometer, and while it seems like an individual competition, S.W.E.A.T is very much a team effort.” Joseph earned the silver medal in his event, the Heavyweight High School Men’s 1x 2,000-meter race. Everybody on the team contributes, and their contributions added up to a winning score.
After the event, Jack Fontaine, ’16, who earned a silver medal, described the team’s reaction: “We’re all happy with our performance, but we have to keep working to do well for the rest of the spring season.” Although they celebrated the victory, the team is already looking at their future events to score some more victories.
Praising the team, Logan Edelmann, ’18, who earned a bronze medal, believed that “winning the team trophy was our goal, and everyone on the team put in their maximum effort to achieve it.” Logan, who earned a third place finish, said that the team and the individual rowers had a lot to improve on before the year is over.
With medals in both the Heavyweight division and in the Lightweight division, the team won their sixth victory at the regatta. With the impressive victory, hopefully, the team can gain some momentum going into future events
Looking ahead, the whole team will compete in the Oklahoma City Invitational on March 19. The team looks forward to another strong spring season, and they hope to break more personal and school records in future tournaments and to participate in the upcoming world championships.
