Pioneer Crew Rows Strong at Five-School Scrimmage on Orchard Lake
By Kristen Loszewski and Cathy Mizgerd
On Sept. 24, 2022 — a chilly fall Saturday — the Ann Arbor Pioneer High School crew team competed in time trials against four other regional high school rowing clubs on a roughly 1,900-meter course on Orchard Lake in Michigan. Hosting the scrimmage was St. Mary’s Preparatory School of Orchard Lake. In addition to Pioneer and St. Mary’s, competitors included Skyline High School of Ann Arbor; Rockford High School of Rockford, Michigan; and St. John’s Jesuit High School & Academy of Toledo, Ohio.
A varsity 8+ boat rows to a first place finish. (Photo by Natalie Fulkerson)
Conditions were rainy, gray, and cold during the day’s opening event at roughly 8:15 a.m., with temperatures at 53 degrees Fahrenheit and the winds at 5 mph from the southeast. The drizzle continued until late morning. Overcast skies followed the day’s damp start and persisted into the afternoon. Winds continued from the southeast at roughly 2 mph, with gusts up to 8 mph. Rowers were pitched against the water’s prevailing current for much of the scrimmage. The final race concluded at around 12:30 p.m.
Boat start times and finish times were recorded for the day’s events, which are known as head races and are typical for fall scrimmages. Though medals were not awarded, rowing times were officially recorded and shared. Of the 23 Pioneer boats entered in 12 of the day’s 18 events, eight Pioneer boats placed in the Top 3 fastest shells in their event, with two boats placing first, four placing second, and two placing third.
“The rest of fall is going to be a lot like this: longer races, head races,” Pioneer Head Coach Scott Menoch told the team after the day’s events. “I think we’re going home stronger than when we came here today, based on the work we got in.”
For its next competitive event, Pioneer travels to Traverse City for the Head of the North fall regatta on Saturday, October 8, 2022.
A coxswain oversees the safe transition of a shell to land. (Photo by Natalie Fulkerson)
FIRST PLACE
Men’s Varsity 8+ with a time of 6:41.87: Joe Clynes, Gavin Bassett, Brendan Kracht, John Gronewold, Rowan Higgins, Will MacQueen, Noah Fulkerson, and Foster Dugan, with Allison Miller as coxswain
Men’s Junior Varsity 8+ with a time of 7:12.48: Mateo Palomares, Timothy Wang, Miguel Ng, Alder Saran, Will Schumacher, Andrew Schairbaum, Cooper Duke and Max Metzger, with Alexander Hsu as coxswain
SECOND PLACE
Men’s Varsity 4+ with a time of 7:31.40: Joe Clynes, Will MacQueen, John Gronewold, and Gavin Bassett with Georgia Busse as coxswain
Women’s Junior Varsity 8+ with a time of 8:35.54: Eda Gur, Jiayue Huang, Iris Maturen, Astrid Becker, Margaret Loszewski, Kaytlin Steinman, Zoe Richardson, and Marissa Risveglia with Maia Rivette as coxswain
Women’s Novice 8+ with a time of 9:22.28: Sofia Mackler, Jordan Davis, Gabriella Soto-Ali, Morgan Neal, Muna Shakour, Maggie Cox, Keira McDonald, and Chloe Parrish with Carlie Lehrmann as coxswain
Women’s Novice 4+ with a time of 9:58.55: Sofia Mackler, Jordan Davis, Gabriella Soto-Ali, Morgan Neal with Nori Njus as coxswain
THIRD PLACE
Women’s Varsity 8+ with a time of 7:56.67: Anne Stroud, Michelle Mobius, Alita Cunningham, Emmanuelle Davis, Catherine Neal, Madeline Houston, Madilyn Gordon, and Raquel Burns with Cecilia Fortson as coxswain
Women’s Junior Varsity 4+ with a time of 8:35.54: Astrid Becker, Iris Maturen, Zoe Richardson, and Marissa Risveglia with Maia Rivette as coxswain
