4-30-2013 11:25pm

Saline Rowers Win Team Points Trophy at 2013 Hebda Memorial Cup

Wyandotte, Michigan — After starting the season two weekends ago in 30 degree weather with snow and windy conditions at the Lubbers Cup Regatta in Grand Haven and having last week’s regatta in Grand Rapids cancelled due to flooding and unsafe rowing conditions, Mother Nature cooperated in Saturday in Wyandotte April 27. Hosted by the Wyandotte Boat Club, the 49th Annual Hebda Memorial Cup Regatta was held at the club’s facilities at BASF Waterfront Park on the Detroit River. Under sunny skies and a light breeze, Saline High School competed against high school rowing clubs from Gibraltar Carlson, Riverview, Cranbrook Kingswood, Roosevelt, Crestwood, Grosse Ile, Southgate Anderson, Northville, Mercyhurst and Parkersburg.

The regatta consisted of 20 events, in which Saline rowers earned top three finishes in 13 of 14 events entered. Saline’s first medal of the day came as the Women’s Varsity Quad (Gavin Gallagher, Haley Pfeiffer, Sarah Carter and Sarah Buckeridge) powered to a first place finish in its race against teams from Riverview and Southgate Anderson. The Saline women rowers also earned first place finishes in the Women’s Double (Liz Walsh and Alexis Wolff) and the Women’s Novice 8 (Sarah Loughman, Allie Fisk, Franchesca LacChance, Jenna Jansa, Rachel Weidmayer, Michaela Wells, Ellie Parker, Jade Hoang and coxswain Sarah Carter). The Women’s Junior Varsity 8 boat (Sarah Buckeridge, Allie Fisk, Sarah Loughman, Jenna Jansa, Franchesca LacChance, Michaela Wells, Ellie Parker, Jade Hoang and coxswain Brian Peterson) took a second place finish behind Gross Ile and ahead of Northville and two Riverview boats while the Women’s Varsity 4 (Gavin Gallagher, Liz Walsh, Alexis Wolff and Haley Pfeiffer) also finished a close second place, less than two seconds behind Mercyhurst and ahead of boats from Roosevelt, Parkersburg, Cranbrook and Crestwood. The Women’s team then closed out its slate of events with a third place finish in the Women’s Varsity 8 (Alexis Wolff, Liz Walsh, Gavin Gallagher, Haley Pfeiffer, Sarah Loughman, Jenna Jansa, Rachel Weidmayer, Sarah Buckeridge and coxswain Sarah Carter) for a total of 6 medals in the 6 events entered.

The Saline men also had a very strong showing in Wyandotte with first place finishes in the Men’s Varsity Double (Jacob Hargrove and Ryan Wellings) ahead of a big field of boats from Southgate Anderson, Northville, Gross Ile, Riverview, Gibraltar Carlson and Crestwood, in the Men’s Varsity 4 (Brad Roberts, Alex Mundorf, Jacob Hargrove, Ryan Wellings and coxswain Savannah Theisen) and in the Men’s Lightweight 4 (Sean Hutfles, Travis Krause, Ben Friman, Graham Fox and coxswain Jade Hoang). Saline also took home second place finishes in the Men’s Lightweight 8 (Sean Hutfles, Graham Fox, Ben Friman, Travis Krause, Oliver Mepham, Nolan Dellot, Julian Rodriguez, Andrew Bonczyk and coxswain Victoria Wellings) and Men’s Varsity Quad (Nolan Dellot, Julian Rodriguez, Andrew Bonczyk and Oliver Mepham) and a third place in the Men’s Varsity 8 (Sean Hutfles, Alex Mundorf, Brad Roberts, Jacob Hargrove, Mike Pettit, Travis Krause, Ryan Wellings, Graham Fox and coxswain Savannah Theisen).

Saline’s success on the water Saturday earned it the prestigious Hebda Memorial Cup Team Points Trophy, a first team points trophy for the team, a precursor to a strong spring season finish for Saline High School Rowers and hopefully a return trip to the USRowing Youth Nationals.

Saline returns to Wyandotte next weekend for the Wi-Hi Regatta on May 4, 2013 followed by the Midwest Scholastic Rowing Championships in Nashport, Ohio on May 10-12, 2013 and the Michigan High School Championship Regatta in Grand Rapids, Michigan on May 18, 2013.

More information can be found at www.salinecrew.org.