Westfield Crew Shines at Stotesbury Cup

Westfield Crew again made club history over the weekend, this time at the prestigious, and enormous, 85th annual Stotesbury Cup Regatta in Philadelphia.        

Four out of eight Westfield boats advanced to the semifinals in this two-day event that bills itself as the largest high-school regatta in the world -- the best showing at Stotesbury for Westfield Crew since the club’s founding.         

In a thrilling race near the end of a day filled with great moments, the Girls Lightweight Double missed advancing to the finals by less than arm’s length. The double, with Amanda Adsit and Charlotte Dreizen, was edged out by Haddon Township High School, also of New Jersey, by 29 hundredths of a second.         

Henry Hershey and Mike Paone muscled their way into the semifinals in the Boys Junior Double, beating 13 other boats in the process, including Don Bosco Prep.         

Sandy Choi, Cecelia Mosco, Ann Sexton and Delia Annitsakis in the Girls Junior Quad beat seven boats to make it into the semifinals as well.         

Sarah Sarkos, Katie Eliades, Sarah Friedman and Erika May, in the Girls Novice Quad, also advanced.         

Though none made it to the finals, Westfield’s rowers were up against some of the finest high-school crews in the country. This year’s regatta, on the Schuykill River in downtown Philadelphia, drew some 5,000 athletes and more than 800 boats from 176 schools.         

“Against some of the strongest competition in the country, each of our crews had the best performances of their careers,” said Coach Robert Greenwood. “Each of our boats that advances to the semifinals makes them among the best in the country.”        

The entire Westfield rowing team made great strides this season, which concluded at Stotesbury. In 2011, the club produced more medals, better times and an overall team performance that improved with each passing week.         

“It’s amazing how your season comes down to inches and seconds,” Coach Woody Handza added.         

Westfield Crew invites parents and children who want to know more about rowing and the team to attend an informational session at 7 p.m., Thursday, May 26, at the Edison School cafeteria. This meeting will discuss the club’s Learn to Row summer program, conducted from the Rutgers Boathouse on the Raritan River in New Brunswick. Boys and girls in grades 7 through 12 may participate.         

More information is also available from the Crew website, at www.westfieldcrew.com.

This article was submitted by Jay Hershey and Malcolm Spurlock.