The girls varsity crew team won the Maryland/Delaware state rowing title for the second consecutive year on Saturday, beating out St. Andrew’s and B-CC high schools in the regatta’s two top races. The boys team placed third in its top varsity race, finishing behind local rival B-CC and home team St. Andrew’s. 

Whitman athletes raced in boats of four and eight people, each led by a coxswain. Each boat raced other schools in their own respective events and both varsity and novice teams competed in the regattas that took place at St. Andrew’s School at Noxontown Pond in Middletown, Delaware.

The girls first varsity eight —  the fastest boat — started off strong with their first strokes and blew away their opponents, finishing an impressive 8.4 seconds ahead of St. Andrew’s. The Vikes covered the 1500 meter course in 5:14.3, with an open water lead in front of St. Andrew’s, B-CC and Holton-Arms.

“I’m very impressed by the dedication of the team,” said varsity rower Teagan Sullivan, a senior. “Everyone shows up to practice excited and ready to work. It’s really laid down a great foundation for the season and I’m very excited to see where this year takes us.” 

The rest of the girls team succeeded as well, with the second varsity eight, varsity four, junior varsity four and the second novice eight each winning their respective events.

The Whitman boys first varsity eight finished third in a close fight, trailing St. Andrew’s by 2.2 seconds and B-CC by 4.1 seconds. The boys second varsity eight finished second in their event, beating St. Andrew’s and DeMatha. The boy’s third varsity eight placed second with only a 2.7 second margin behind B-CC.

Whitman boys second novice eight finished first, beating out B-CC while the boy’s first novice eight placed third. 

“I’m really proud of the grit the guys have shown in the face of adversity,” said coxswain Jack Mershon, a sophomore. “Although we’re disappointed, the drive and perseverance we have as a team will take us far and I’m excited to see the response we will make.”

The crew team will race at WMIRA on the Occoquan River next Sunday, where they will rematch B-CC, DeMatha, Holton-Arms and other teams in the metro area. 

Additional reporting by Jamie Forman.