The U17 Women’s 4+ A boat from the Saugatuck Rowing Club won the national championship in its class at the recent USRowing Youth Nationals in Sarasota, Fla. Pictured, left to right, are: Coach Cody Silvester and teammates Alice Frascella, Carolina Proctor, Madeline Casano, Clementine Kirt and Hannah Makmale. / Contributed photos

WESTPORT — Young rowers from the Saugatuck Rowing Club competing in a recent national event returned home towing a boatload of honors.

Teams from the club’s Junior Rowing Program competed in the USRowing Youth Nationals in Sarasota, Fla., which drew more than 4,000 athletes from 225 clubs and schools on June 8-11.

Twelve boats from the Saugatuck program were entered in the men’s and women’s competitions, including women’s pairs, men’s and women’s fours, and men’s and women’s eights.

Many of the rowers are residents of Westport and nearby communities.

Saugatuck Rowing Club’s U17 Women’s 4+ B boat finished second to the club’s A boat at the USRowing Youth Nationals. Left to right are: Grace Baker, Olivia Saw, Sora Yu, Anne Studnicky, Rylie Cordella and Coach Cody Silvester.
Saugtauck Rowing Club’s U17 Men’s 4+ boat placed third in its class at the USRowing Youth Nationals. Left to right are: Coach Alex Vogt and teammates Tristan Andreski, Davis Evans, Daniel Lee, Tommy Wright and Westley Dick.
The men’s U16 Men’s 8+ boat from the Saugatuck Rowing Club finished third in its competition. Left to right are: Jack Mello, Will Firmender, Elena Nasar, Jack Belloli, Liam Wiegand, Gavin Remley, Daniel Arava, Henry Basham and Alex Proctor.

A national championship was won by the women’s U17 4+ A boat (all rowers younger than 17), with Madeline Casano, coxswain; Hannah Makmale, stroke; Clementine Kirt, Carolina Proctor and Alice Frascella. In claiming gold, the team defended the national title held by Saugatuck rowers for a third year in a row.

Finishing second was the Saugatuck U17 4+ B boat, with Sora Yu, coxswain; Anne Studnicky, stroke; Rylie Cordella, Grace Baker and Olivia Saw. The local team 0.2 second ahead of a team from Newport.

The men’s U17 4+ boat, with Daniel Lee, coxswain; Tristin Andreski, stroke; Davis Evans, Westley Dick and Tommy Wright, placed third in its competition.

The men’s U16 8+ boat, with Elena Nasar, coxswain; Daniel Arava, stroke; Jack Mello, Will Firmender, Liam Wiegand, Gavin Remley, Henry Basham, Alex Proctor and Jack Belloli, placed third in its field. The team finished two seconds behind historic rival RowAmerica Rye. 

“I am so proud of our athletes for stepping up and having the best races of the year in whatever final they were in,” Dave Grossman, boys head coach, said in the announcement.

“It was our largest showing at Youth Nationals with 78 athletes racing. We had some big results this year with a gold, silver and two bronze medals,” he added.

Mike O’Hara, girls head coach, agreed. “We have such a hard-working, dedicated squad. It’s outstanding to see them grow up in this sport, set a goal and work as a team to go beyond what they ever thought possible. I’m excited to see what’s next for both the boys and girls next season,” he said in the statement.

Check the Saugatuck Rowing Club website for more information.

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