Pioneer High School Finishes Strong in 2022 State Championship Regatta

By Cathy Mizgerd and Kristen Loszewski

Twenty-six high school rowing crews gathered from across Michigan for the annual state rowing championship on Saturday, May 21, 2022, with the Pioneer Rowing Club from Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor placing third overall and second for women’s points. For the first time ever, the statewide competition was held on the Kathryn Bennett Race Course at Kensington Metropark in Milford, Michigan. Sponsored by the Scholastic Rowing Association of Michigan, the regatta featured a 1,500-meter course along the northwestern edge of the 1,200-acre Kent Lake.

Rough morning weather—with high winds, dark skies, and driving rain punctuated by thunder and lightning—prohibited rowing until just after 11:30am and led to a truncated schedule of events; with that, race times from semifinal events were taken as final. By afternoon, rowing and viewing conditions were fine, with bright sun, scant clouds, and a temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

“We’ve gone through a lot together this season, and I couldn’t be prouder,” said Head Coach Scott Menoch to the men’s and women’s teams at the end of the day. “We put some fast boats in the water today, but five, ten, or fifteen years from now, it’s not the medals you are going to remember. It’s the time you spent with your fellow athletes.”

Next: The women’s first varsity 4+ boat competes in the nationwide 2022 Scholastic Rowing Association of America (SRAA) Championship in Camden, New Jersey, on May 27–28, 2022.

GOLD

Women’s First Varsity 8+ with a time of 5:20.0: Emma Bassett, MK Coolican, Lillian Davidson-Walshe, Grace Kennel, Anne Stroud, Aicha Sanogo, Abby Stephan, Shuyi Xu with Allison Miller as coxswain

Women’s First Varsity 4+ with a time of 5:51.1: Emma Bassett, Grace Kennel, Lillian Davidson-Walshe, MK Coolican with Allison Miller as coxswain

SILVER

Men’s Frosh 4+ with a time of 5:31.7: Timothy Wang, William Schumacher, Miguel Ng, Matt Martin with Noah Herdrich as coxswain

Women’s 3rd Varsity / Novice 8+ with a time of 6:04.4: Catherine Neal, Madeline Houston, Astrid Becker, Emmanuel Davis, Zoe Richardson, Jiayue Huang, Eda Gur, Marissa Risveglia with Georgia Busse as coxswain

Women’s Frosh 4+ with a time of 6:20.5: Catherine Neal, Madeline Houston, Astrid Becker, Zoe Richardson with Maia Rivette as coxswain

BRONZE

Men’s 2nd Varsity/Junior 4+ with a time of 5:32.8: Rob Duke, Owen Rozek, Gabriel Raux, Daniel Ko with Charlie Herz as coxswain

Women’s 2nd Varsity/Junior 4+ with a time of 6:15.2: Abby Stephan, Aicha Sanogo, Anne Stroud, Shuyi Xu with Cecilia Fortson as coxswain

MAIN PHOTO: Women’s Frosh 4+ boat earns silver. Photo by Rob Raux