The crew team from McQuaid Jesuit High School earned two first-place finishes and a second place at the championship regatta of the New York State Scholastic Rowing Association, held May 8-9 in Saratoga Springs. The Knights’ success enabled them to advance to national competition later this spring.
McQuaid overcame stormy weather, high winds and tough competition from 70 top crews from across the state. Taking first place in the Senior 4+ race for the Knights were rowers Kyle Arena, Slawek Guzierowicz, Alexander Moran, Paul Koscumb and coxswain Michael Holvey. Moran, Koscumb and Guzierowicz came back to join Cameron Pizzo to power the McQuaid quad boat to win gold by a wide margin in the scholastic division of the Senior 4X championship race. In the Junior 4+ event, McQuaid rowers Ian DiPaolo, Pizzo, Aaron Behan, Andrew Clark and coxswain Les Kernan took the silver medal, missing first place by a narrow margin to Iona Prep in an exciting final heat.
On Saturday morning, the McQuaid freshman 4+ boat, consisting of novice rowers Loudon Blake, Joseph Tucciarello, Gregory Klumpp, Johnathan Dickinson and coxswain Grant Gifford, overcame difficult conditions in the preliminary race to qualify for the final heat scheduled for later that day, but officials cancelled the race due to the stormy conditions.
The gold and silver medals earned by the Knights at the state championships qualify them to return to Saratoga Springs May 28-29 for the Scholastic Rowing Association of America national championships. McQuaid also has qualified for the USRowing Youth National Championship regatta, to be held in Cincinnati June 11-13.
Tags: Sports
