This spring season, the boys and girls crew teams plan to row all the way to nationals with their strong rosters.

After a long and physically demanding winter conditioning season, both teams now have the opportunity to get back on the water as they prepare for spring competitions.

The teams’ intensity and drive during the winter months is what will give them an edge in the upcoming regattas, senior Patrick Hoeppner said.

“The primary strength we have is dedication,” he said. “Guys show up to optional practices regularly, and put in hard work on the ergs and in the weight room on their own time.”

The hard work payed off this weekend when the team competed in the Manny Flick, their opening regatta. The boys varsity eight boat placed first in their flight and the girls varsity eight boat placed fourth.

“Today was a solid performance from all of the men’s eight, but there is always room to improve, which we aim to do during spring break,” junior Alberto Wray said.

While the girls did not place as high, they still are satisfied with their effort at the race.

“In our race, we had a very tough heat with really strong competition, but I think we performed well,” senior Eliza Clifford said. “Today was just our first step towards our journey this season, and now we’re hungry to get more.”

Both teams look to improve their speed during an intense spring break training program where the rowers attend practices twice per day to maximize their time on the water. All of this hard work will hopefully help the teams win the regional championships and medal at their biggest race, the Stotesbury Cup Regatta.

“This season we’ve done a lot in what little time we’ve had on the water and as we go into our spring break training, I think we’ll gain a lot of momentum and speed going into our championships,” Clifford said.