On Oct. 19 and 20, varsity boys and varsity girls rowing both turned out strong performances at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, MA.

The boys varsity eight rower crew placed 13th in the boys championship, and the girls varsity eight placed 25th in the girls’ championship. While neither crew came close to winning, considering the elite caliber of competition at the regatta, they both rowed well.

“It was a great weekend for racing in Boston,” said varsity boys head coach Nathaniel Kelp-Lenane. “Our varsity eight has been rowing very well this season, and I was happy to see them put out their best piece of the year on the Charles River.”

The regatta marked a tremendous step forward for the boys varsity eight. Their finishing time of 14:57.09 put them near the top of 85 of the world’s most formidable youth crews, and they posted one of the competition’s fastest times from the last time marker on the course to the finish line.

“I left everything I had out there in that eight, and I’m confident that every other guy in that boat did too,” said senior Jack Lightfine.

Despite this strong performance, Lightfine and his teammates went home from the regatta hungry to improve, having finished a mere 8.5 seconds behind 5th place crew Marin from California.

“The only direction we can go from here is forward. This lineup will get faster and stronger, [so] I’m really optimistic,” said Lightfine.

The Trevians also felt they rowed well on the girls’ side of the competition. While the girls’ varsity eight placed 25th overall, the all-senior crew’s time of 17:40.23 was 1:35 minutes faster than last year’s 22nd place finish.

“New Trier’s Girls Youth Eight rowed a solid race among a field of 85 crews,” said varsity girls head coach Rose Marchuk. “I am very proud of how aggressively they rowed and to the best of their ability in a field that continues to get faster.”

Because the Trevians’ girls varsity eight is comprised of all seniors, their solid performance at the regatta was especially meaningful.

“It was a senior eight, which was super special because it felt like a culmination of all the years we’ve spent together,” said senior Kelly Hagedorn.

As a result of many of the crews at the regatta being club teams created from larger talent pools, the Trevians’ performance at the regatta is perhaps best understood in comparison with other high school teams. In this regard, Marchuk and Kelp-Lenane felt their crews did an excellent job.

“There were few high schools that ranked higher than New Trier’s 25th place [girls’] finish,” said Marchuk.

Kelp-Lenane added that the Trevians’ boys varsity eight placed 2nd among boys high school crews at the regatta.

Despite the Trevians’ current strength compared with the other high school teams in the country, both the boys and girls varsity eight crews are committed to improving during the offseason.

“As a team, we will train this winter to compete in sprint races in the spring. Our goal is to become faster and create successful lineups for each category at our race,” said Hagedorn.

The boys’ team is also dedicated to becoming faster this winter, but their training will emphasize gaining muscle in particular.

“Our main goal is to put on some pounds,” said Lightfine. “Heavier lineups are less affected in windy situations, so our focus is to bulk up and put some faster scores on the ergs.”

In the end, both the boys and girls teams hope their efforts will help them realize their main goals: to win the Midwest Rowing Championship and to medal at the Scholastic Rowing National Championship. If the teams continue to improve, these goals will be achievable.

“Both [goals] are within reach. If the girls row to the best of their ability, that is all we can ask,” said Marchuk.