The girls junior eight boat placed second and the boys junior eight boat placed fourth at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America National Championships May 27 to end their season with a dramatic finish.

Throughout the day’s races, the girls boat consistently placed second and only trailed rowing powerhouse Montclair in the standings.

The girls were in fifth for much of the final race. A final push with 500 meters left in the race allowed the girls to catch-up witth the boats in front of them. In the next 10 seconds, the Vikings moved up three boats and finished in second place.

“I honestly don’t remember much except how painful it was and the yelling in the grandstands,” Alex Schoen said.

The team overcame adversity on its way to getting silver medals at Nationals. The night before the race, the fire alarm at the team’s hotel went off twice and the team was forced to evacuate. Despite the short night’s sleep, the team woke up excited and ready to race.

The boat mates was inspired the next day and fought to finish in second. Although the team eventually fell, Schoen says it was the ideal way for the team to finish its season.

“It was a perfect way to end the season,” she said. “I am so proud of everyone in my boat and I am excited to see what we can do next season.”

For the boys, the junior eight boat finished fourth and capped off an impressive season.

“It was a good feeling to know that nine months of training ended with us finishing fourth at nationals,” Billy Bird said.