VERO BEACH — Saint Edward’s Varsity Crew Team sent one boat through to the grand final Sunday, April 28, at the Florida Scholastic Rowing Association’s (FSRA) Sweep Championships at Benderson Park in Sarasota.
The SES Boys’ 4+ crew Matt Murphy, Kris Menninger, Sean Barry, Will Tremml, and coxswain Ella Merrill advanced through two rounds of racing on Saturday, with a strategic third place finish in the semifinal, putting them among the top 12 boats in their category in the state.
On Sunday morning, the crew finished in the top half of their semifinal race to advance to the grand final for the top six boats, one of only two scholastic crews to do so.
Saint Edward’s finished in sixth place in that grand final, 1.5 seconds behind Tampa Preparatory School.
The Saint Edward’s crew will now compete at the 2013 Scholastic Rowing Association of America National Championships Regatta, which will take place on the Cooper River in Camden, NJ on May 24 and 25.
“It is really an amazing feat that this young team has achieved. We have one rower, Matt Murphy, who began rowing three months ago and is in his first season; two boys who are rowing for their second season, Sean Barry and Will Tremml; and one rower who has been on the water for three seasons now. Coxswain Ella Merrill is in her second season of rowing,” said Coach Aaron Lee.
According to the coach, they were competing against really seasoned teams at the FSRA, and the club teams usually dominate.
“Aaron and his assistants, Curtis Pehl and Ann Fountain, have worked very hard to develop the rowing program. This is a great testament to their coaching and the student’s hard work. They will represent Saint Edward’s well,” explained Jeff Lamscha, Athletic Director at Saint Edward’s.
