Runner-up finish punctuates crew season for Eaglets

The Orchard Lake St. Mary’s crew team recently concluded its 2011 campaign which saw it finish as a runner-up in the state championships.

The Eaglets came in second-place to Rockford at the Scholastic Rowing Association of Michigan State Championships at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids on May 28.

St. Mary’s then followed up with a 35th-place finish at the Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association Championships in St. Catherine’s, Ont.

The Eaglets began the season on a strong note at the Rust Belt Regatta in Lake Milton, Ohio on April 2, with the Varsity 4+ and Novice 4+ groups each taking first-place.

After the Novice 8+ group took the silver medal at the Hoover Invitational in Columbus, Ohio on April 16, St. Mary’s then finished first at the 47th Hebda Memorial Challenge Cup in Wyandotte on April 30.

St. Mary’s then returned home to host its Orchard Lake Crew Classic and defended its home lake by taking first over Ann Arbor Pioneer and Rockford.

Then it was off to Oak Ridge, Tenn. for the Midwest Scholastic Championships, where the Eaglets finished third.The Men’s Novice 8+ , Men’s Varsity 4+, Men’s Junior 4+ and Men’s Varsity 2- groups all captured gold medals in Tennessee.zThe members of this year’s varsity rowing team are Chad Chen, Kenneth Jackson, Matthew Latham, Richard Lee, Kevin Manzm, Maxwell Monpetit, Victor Ottoboni, Tucker Shield, Joseph Simon, Jeffrey Petrucci, Justin Bunzeluk, Dean Clark, Andrew Duenas, Parker McInnis, Adam Mitchell, Grant Niemiec, Jake Presto, Nicholas Stoneback, Thomas Turner and Ryan Wardia.

The Novice team is made up of juniors, sophomores and freshmen and includes juniors Jonathan Blazevic, Austin Healy, Samuel Morley and Rowland Zhang, along with sophomores Anthony Robinson, Joseph Samayoa, Byron Williams II and Brandon Zayid.