Eleven rowers from the crew team competed at the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Erg Sprints in Boston Feb. 12, where they showcased their speed against competitors from around the world.

Three of the squad’s rowers cracked the top 55 in their events, which included over 150 people each. Senior Corrine Hall, sophomore Selina Ding and junior Baillie Olin finished 35th, 48th and 53rd, respectively.  

The C.R.A.S.H.-B. competition is a one day race where competitors row a 2K distance on an indoor rowing machine called an erg. The event is broken up into almost 100 different divisions based on the weight and age of the participants.

The lowest age group is the U23 division, which is made up of racers from middle schools, high schools and colleges, and the highest age group is the surprisingly competitive 95-99 class.

Rowers from around the globe attend the C.R.A.S.H.-B.’s, with countries like Denmark and Germany sending athletes to compete against American opponents and gain recruiting attention from U.S. universities.

As opposed to years past, the Whitman crew team sent mostly young rowers to the competition, with only three upperclassmen and eight underclassmen attending.

“Competing against so many upperclassmen was a little overwhelming,” sophomore Ethan Waxman said. “But overall, the event was a very positive experience and I’ll definitely come back my next two years and hopefully beat some of them.”

With C.R.A.S.H.-B being the last major winter event, the crew team will soon begin their spring season and get back onto the water.

Selina Ding is a production assistant for The Black & White.