Boys' Crew Obliterates Andover, Tabor
Exeter took home the David Swift Points Trophy this weekend, with Big Red’s top three boats coming in first against Andover and Tabor. The first boat beat Tabor by 0.7 seconds and Andover by 1.4 seconds in a close finish, with a time of 4:34.9. The second boat beat Andover by eight seconds and Tabor by thirteen seconds with a time of 4:42.0, finishing with two lengths of open water.
Upper and co-captain Francis Baviera Maloney was proud of the team’s performance. “The team showed up and we did our job….we stepped our game up at Andover...the top three boys’ boats won, and we are all very proud of that,” he said.
“The second and third boats continue to crush the competition, and first boat’s victory at Andover shows that we are a serious contender for the NEIRA podium.”
The first boat came into race hungry for redemption after a tough loss to Hanover the week before and a long week spent seat-racing and making technical improvements. Baviera Maloney credited the boat’s success to the technical work they’d been doing, saying, “This work led us to victory as we honed in and improved our weaknesses, such as the start and the sprint.”
The first boat started the race down on Tabor and Andover but quickly moved through Andover in the first 500 meters. Tabor remained up on Exeter until the 800 meter mark, when Big Red made a move and got ahead. “Once we were up, we never let them catch up,” Baviera Maloney said. Although Tabor began to close the gap on the sprint, Exeter managed to hold them off.
Baviera Maloney highlighted coxswain JP Kim as a key player in the boat’s success. “We couldn’t have done it without JP Kim, as he did an amazing job coxing us to victory.”
Coming out of the race, the boys are feeling confident as they move into the end of the season. “The second and third boats continue to crush the competition, and first boat’s victory at Andover shows that we are a serious contender for the NEIRA podium,” senior Alec Howe said. Upper John Chen concurred, saying, “We are in great condition and just need to clean up our form.”
Howe was happy with how the team had been improving and was enthusiastic about the regattas ahead. “I feel as though our season got off to a rough start, but we’ve been steadily gaining speed week by week and that has shown in our results. I’m feeling confident about the team, especially considering the passion that Coach Leger brings to the sport,” he said.
That said, the team is looking to improve on its sprinting as they reach the end of its season. “We shouldn’t cut it so close versus a great team like Tabor and good teams like Andover,” Howe said.
With their dominance at Andover, the boy’s crew team have proved themselves to be ready to take on the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association Regatta in two weeks. This weekend, Exeter will be racing against St. Paul’s at the Crumpacker Boathouse in Concord, NH, its last match-up before it heads to Lake Quinsigamond for the championship.
Exeter dominated St. Pauls earlier in the season during April, but the boys know not to underestimate their opponents. St. Paul’s had been known to taper for its final race against Exeter so there will be some fast races.