Video: Riverhead rowing team wins four medals at states
The Riverhead High School rowing team won four medals at last weekend’s New York State Scholastic Rowing Championships in Saratoga Springs. The Riverhead team picked up two silver medals and two bronze competing against 73 teams.
Ethan Zaweski and Jonathan Schmitt won silver in the Boys Lightweight 150 Double with a net time of 6 minutes 29.66 seconds. Schmitt won another medal shortly after when he joined Rohan Sment in the Boys Pair race where the duo won bronze. They were sixth overall in 7:01.17. Scholastic teams are sorted separately from the club teams when medals are awarded.
Sment and Schmitt switched to a sweep event at the last moment and medaled despite only four practices in the boat. It was the first medal ever for Riverhead in a senior sweep event at the state championships.
Riverhead students Danny O’Neill and Hunter Bingham, who race for East End Rowing, which is not affiliated with the school team, won a gold medal in the boys Senior Doubles Sculls event, blowing away the competition in 5:46.6. The next closest competitor crossed the finish line in 6:03.69.
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The girls Senior Quadruple Sculls won silver in their event as the second-fastest scholastic boat. The four girls racing for Riverhead were Erin Hesler, Emily Harsch, Samantha Kuepp and Amber Giambone. They were fifth overall in 7:33.44.
The Riverhead Boys Novice Four club of Anthony Ortega, Tristin Krueger, Ivan Stapon and Liam Sment won bronze with Kara Reese of McGann-Mercy as their coxswain. It was the first medal for Riverhead in a sweep event. It was also the first year Riverhead had novice rowers qualify for the state championships.
Riverhead had a fourth-place finish from the freshmen Boys Double team of Bryce McKissick and Nolan Renshaw. There were was no novice or freshmen doubles event at states, so the duo raced in the Senior Lightweight 160 Double event. They were sixth overall in 7:01.68.
McGann-Mercy rowers Julia Halsey and Reese were fifth overall in the Girls Pair, finishing in 8:10.68.
Boys Doubles
Boys Lightweight 150 Double
