At the start of their winter training season, the Jesuit Crew team set out to build strength and excellence, entering 12 boats into the Frosty 500 Regatta. This 500-meter race resulted in top three finishes for the whole team. The highlights of the day were the Men’s 1V 8+ and the Men’s U-17 8+, which finished with Jesuit Crew two boat-lengths ahead of the challenging teams. During the remainder of the month, the team moved indoors, training with discipline and courage as the team’s historic semester came to a close.
January
Entering the new year, all eyes were set on the S.W.E.A.T. regatta at Jesuit as the team persisted through their workouts with motivation and confidence. The coaching staff also presented a new directive that showed who really wanted to train for another championship, and although it resulted in multiple members joining and leaving the team, it also showed who had the true commitment and discipline to stay on the team. These newfound signs of loyalty expressed from the athletes prompted the team to push forward and believe in the winter season grind.
The Southwest Ergometer Amateur Tournament (S.W.E.A.T.)
Annually, at the beginning of February, Jesuit Crew hosts the renowned S.W.E.A.T. regatta during the first week of the new month in the Terry Center. This 2,000 meter race on the ergometer takes place indoors, as it is the final test to the crew team’s consistency and progress over the last few months.
The day for Jesuit Crew started with the coxswain race, as Charlie Tighe ’28, Shay Wang ’29, and Gael Castanon ’29 achieved top three finishes, establishing an exquisite state of mind for the rowers and starting the day strong for Jesuit Crew. Three heats later, the new Jesuit Crew freshman raced their hearts out and finished in the top three positions. The highlight for the freshman class was when Max Stewart ’29 captured the gold, finishing within .1 of a second in front of the second-place finisher, showing his determination with an insane last 500 meters of racing.
The end of the racing day for Jesuit Crew resulted in strong finishes from Varsity as they showed Jesuit Crew’s consistency, resilience, and strength. The highlights of the day included Team Captains Jackson Gregg ’26, Barrett Gibbins ’26, and Noah Fahrenbruch ’27 finishing in the top five of the Men’s Junior Lightweight 1x event, showcasing the leaders’ determination and exemplifying performances that have led Jesuit Crew to where it is now. In the Men’s Junior 1x event, Owen Kubalak ’27 delivered another strong performance, completing his race in under seven minutes. These performances from the Varsity side demonstrated that although they might not be the biggest team in the room, they are very consistent in their performances and overall strength. Here is what Coach Eli Brown had to say about the appreciation of the people that contributed to helping at S.W.E.A.T. that continue to support the team and keep the belief in victory alive:
“Thank you to all competitors for contributing to a challenging and well-contested regatta, and sincere appreciation to the volunteers, officials, sponsors, and families whose dedication made SWEAT possible.” -Head Coach Eli Brown
Overall, Jesuit Crew showcased not only their strength and determination to stand out in a competitive field, but also demonstrated a belief of courage that will be the backbone of the team for the season to come. Now, the team turns its attention to water training as they build endurance and technical attributes to perform well at the Heart of Texas Regatta in Austin later this month.
“At S.W.E.A.T., we saw many milestones for the team, as well as some areas of improvement for our squad. In these next few weeks, we need to prepare diligently and have a focused, committed mindset as we begin water sessions again in order to prepare for our first race.” -Coxswain Sunil Shah ’27
If you want to view the team’s past successes or learn more about Jesuit Crew’s legacy, use this link.
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