CREW SWEEPS NEIRA GOLDS

Exeter’s girls’ crew team nished out a nearly spotless season with an impressive showing at the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association Championships. The rst boat had a 5-1 record and the second boat 6-0, with both finishing first in their NEIRAs races. “We had a fantastic season overall,” coach Sally Morris said. “We had a young team and we were not sure how quickly we could teach them to row competitively, but they really focused and listened and learned quickly how to row fast and efficiently.”“It's very exciting that the G2 was undefeated two years in a row, and that G5 and G6 remain undefeated, too,” Morris continued. “We had an unusual loss at St. Paul's for the G1 by three sec- onds and we were not expecting that. The crew had to regroup [and] change their strategy, and they came back to beat St. Paul's at the NEIRAs by ten seconds.”Every boat on the team medaled, winning Exeter the Team Points trophy. In addition, both G5 and G6 had unde- feated seasons, and the girls third boat was 3-3.The entirety of girls’ crew displayed constant dedication and eagerness, al- ways working hard in the boathouse and on the water.

“The team was very passionate this year,” senior co-captain Karla Beltran said. “I think there are some underclass- men to keep an eye out for that have already exceeded expectations in terms of performance and heart for the sport. A lot of girls stepped up to the plate since we had a relatively young team with a lot of novices on the JV boats. Everyone always came to practice focused and willing to work their hardest.”Senior Ainsley Fahey believes that the girls’ unity and work ethic was in- strumental for the season’s accomplish- ments. “Our entire program was really strong this year, and we worked really well as an entire boathouse to push each other every day and make sure that we were all doing our best to make our boats go as fast as possible,” Fahey said. “Every single girl on the team is extremely hard working and is willing to do anything that it takes to help her teammates win.”NEIRAs was one of the highlights of the season, the culmination of the athletes’ efforts. “Coming in from a loss at St. Paul's was probably the best posi- tion we could have been in going into NEIRAs,” lower Zoe Sudduth said. “We used that loss to our advantage, and the week before Interschols we completely changed our race plan, upped stroke rate and focused a lot on our start. We were able to make that work and got even faster in the days before NEIRAs, and

that made it possible for us to win.”The results were unexpected for the athletes and coaches. “The biggest surprise wasthe margin of victory in all three races,” Morris said. “We anticipated a tough victory for G1, but instead it was a clear margin of open water win. We anticipated an easy victory for G2, but they found their competition had improved and they had to work hard and well for their resounding victory. G3 had been making such progress in practice in the nal week, and they were in front for most of the Grand Final, so it was a bit of a disappointment to all of them that Kent just nipped past in the sprint.”The Andover race was also one of the high points of the season, when the girls faced off against Big Reds’ most tenacious opponent. “It was a really windy day and we had a rough start, but we had a really strong middle section and then a perfect sprint at the end,” Fahey said. “It was a really great race, and it was good because our boat had a couple of tough practices before that, and we really came together to crush Andover by boat-lengths of open water.”Beltran and her co-captain, senior Catherine Denton, led the team this year. With one of the tightest teams on campus, bonding was essential to its success, and made possible by the captains.“I was very proud and honored to co-captain such a strong and successful team,” Denton said. “I will miss spending time with this group of girls both on and off of the water. We really came together, not only as teammates, but as friends, and I think that our winning the Team Points Trophy at NEIRA’s is indicative of our overall unity.”“I will miss our traditional cheer at the end of every bus ride on the way to races, I will miss having younger athletes come up to me and ask for advice, and I will mostly miss all the smiling faces that I would see down at the boathouse,” Beltran added.Next year’s captains are uppers Jenny DiPietro and Kerrick Edwards. Their coaches and teammates all expect them to continue to lead the historic team to success.“I think that next year has the potential to be even better for the girls’ team,” Denton said. “Typically, if the previous season was successful for the team, it will plan to race in some larger regatta like Nationals or Henley after the regular season has ended, so that may be a possibility for next year. The varsity will have an experienced group of returners, and JV always develops quickly with novices and returners who learn quickly and love the sport.”Beltran added that DiPietro and Edwards will be crucial to the team as leaders. “Kerrick and Jenny are going to keep the spirit of the team strong and will be excellent role models for the team,” Beltran said. “Since this year was a bit more of a building year, I have no doubt that next year the new rowers from this year will excel in the higher boats. Our team is very dedicated, and I don't think that will ever stop being a part of Exeter girl's crew.”