The T.C. Williams boys’ lightweight 8 — a boat which has gotten faster each week that it has raced this season — came in first at the Charlie Butt Regatta in Georgetown on April 28. Members of the lightweight 8, shown here by their boat after their victory, include (from left): coxswain Brian Comey and rowers Cody Brooks, David Salmons, Chris Porter, Ethan Vannatta, Sam Zickar, Constantine Ivanis, Mitchell Youmans and Chris Kidd. Photograph contributed
The T.C. Williams crew team traveled to Georgetown this past Saturday, April 28 to compete in the Charlie Butt Regatta, a race that started on the Potomac just above the Key Bridge and ended in the shadow of the Kennedy Center just down the river.
The Titan rowers didn’t have much time to reflect on the sights and scenery, though. They were busy taking on some of the fastest boats in the Washington region, competing in a series of 1500-meter races that saw T.C. Williams cross the finish line in first place three times on the day.
Leading the way for T.C. once again were the girls’ freshman 8, who brought home a victory for the second week in a row and the third time this season. The freshmen finished with a time of 5:26.3, which was nearly four seconds faster than runner-up National Cathedral. Members of the T.C. girls’ freshman 8 include: coxswain Kathrina Policarpio and rowers Maeve Bradley, Kyra McClary, Margaret McVeigh, Mary Embrey, Maura Nakahata, Taylor Sanders, Rachael Vannatta and Zoe Gildersleeve.
Also bringing home victories for T.C. Williams this past weekend were the boys’ lightweight 8 and the boys’ junior 4. The lightweight 8 – a boat that has gotten faster each week that it has raced – crossed the finish line with a time of 4:35.1, which was more than four seconds faster than runner-up McLean. Members of the T.C. boys’ lightweight 8 include: coxswain Brian Comey and rowers Cody Brooks, Ethan Vannatta, David Salmons, Chris Porter, Constantine Ivanis, Sam Zickar, Mitchell Youmans and Chris Kidd.
In the boys’ junior 4 contest, the Titan oarsmen – who are all sophomores, and who have been rowing together for just two short weeks – blazed down the Charlie Butt course with a time of 5:19.7, which was eight seconds faster than runner-up McLean. Members of the T.C. Williams boys’ junior 4 include coxswain Spenser Gilliand and rowers George Waskowicz, Nate Conrad, Calvin Heimburg, and Ben Blakeslee.
In other strong performances at the Charlie Butt Regatta, the T.C. Williams boys’ varsity 4 crossed the finish line two seconds behind St. Albans to capture second place with a time of 5:04.3 in their race, while the T.C. Williams girls’ first 8 — who have also been posting faster times with each passing week and narrowly missed winning their morning heat by 1.4 seconds — came in third in the afternoon final with a time of 5:13.5, placing them solidly in the hunt to beat Madison and National Cathedral, two of the fastest crews in the country who the T.C. girls will next face at states in two weeks.
The T.C. Williams crew team races next this coming Saturday, May 5, when the freshmen and novices compete in the Ted Phoenix Lower Boat Championships at Occoquan. The following weekend, the T.C. upper boats return to Occoquan for the Virginia Scholastic Rowing Championship.
For the complete race schedule, visit the T.C. Williams crew Website at www.tcwcrew.org. The T.C. crew team is guided by boys head coach Pete Stramese and girls’ head coach Mercedes Kiss.