Co-hosts open Henley with two gold medals
Clubs from Niagara combine to send eight boats to finals
The St. Catharines Rowing Club entered the second day of final races at the 137th Royal Canadian Henley Regatta tied atop the standings with two gold medals.
St. Catharines struck gold in the fifth of 19 finals that were decided Thursday on its home course. Ethan McAlpine and Alex Jastremski completed the men’s under-23 double in 6:47.77, 4.39 seconds faster than a crew from the Peterborough Rowing Club.
A senior men’s lightweight four of Eric Buchanan, Brad Iafrate, Ryan Walter and Jacob Giesbrecht gave the co-host its second gold of the day 11 races later. Their time of 6:28.68 over 2,000 metres gave them a 13-second margin of victory over Montreal.
St. Catharines added to its total of gold medals setting the pace in Friday’s senior men’s 64-kilogram coxed four. Dylan Vanderloos, Owen Powell, Joe Coughler and Owen Hughes celebrated by throwing coxswain Kennedy Keith into Martindale Pond.
On Thursday, St. Catharines sent six boats to the finals, tops among the five rowing clubs from Niagara region competing in the Canadian national championships. In addition to a third-place finish, St. Catharines had two fourths and a sixth.
The Ridley Graduate Boat Club, which also trains on Martindale Pond, had a second-place
finish and the Notre Dame Rowing Club from Welland a fifth.
Neither the Niagara Falls Rowing Club nor the South Niagara Rowing Club made it to a final on the first of four days of gold-medal races. Unlike other regattas, only gold medals are awarded at the Henley.
Vesper Boat Club from Philadelphia also had two first-place finishes Thursday.
Following are the top three and winning times, as well as the finishes of entries from Niagara:
Senior women’s single: 1. Craftsbury, 7:52.11; 2. Craftsbury, 3. USTC Princeton.
Senior men’s lightweight double: 1. Botafogo, 6:47.57; 2. Ridley Graduate, 3. Hanlan.
Men’s under-19 single: 1. Calgary, 7:21.97; 2. Calgary, 3. Halifax.
Women’s under-23 lightweight single: 1. UBC, 8:03.27; 2. UBC, 3. Vesper.
Men’s under-23 double: 1. St. Catharines, Ethan McAlpine, Alex Jastremski, 6:47.77; 2. Peterborough, 3. Calgary.
Women’s under-19 coxed four: 1. TBC, 7:21.09; 2. PNRA/ Mercer, 3. Cambridge.
Women’s under-23 pair: 1. Don, 7:36.53; 2. Kingston, 3. Minnesota.
Senior men’s single: 1. Vesper, 7:14.84; 2. Cambridge, 3. Craftsbury.
Women’s under-17 double: 1. Stithians, 7:44.44; 2. Guelph, 3. Argonaut, 6. St. Catharines.
Men’s under-23 lightweight single: 1. Don, 7:18.65; 2. Riverside, 3. St. Catharines.
Senior women’s senior lightweight double: 1. Vesper, 7:30.16;
2. Riverside, 3. Espana, 4. St. Catharines.
Men’s under-19 coxed four:
1. CRI, 6:39.48; 2. Hawk Rowing, 3. Fairmount.
Senior women’s eight: 1. UBC, 6:42.82; 2. Calgary, 3. Riverside, 4. St. Catharines.
Men’s under-17 quad: 1. Thunder, 6:33.89; 2. Conshohocken, 3. Crescent, 5. Notre Dame.
Women’s under-19 single: 1. Deep Cove, 8:11.94; 2. Argonaut, 3. Ottawa, 4.
Senior men’s lightweight four: 1. St. Catharines, Eric Buchanan, Brad Iafrate, Ryan Walter, Jacob Giesbrecht, 6:28.68; 2. Montreal, 3. Hanlan.
Senior men’s pair: 1. UVic, 6:57.80; 2. New York AC, 3. Riverside.
Women’s under-23 lightweight eight: 1 Vesper, 6:53.51; 2. City Island, only two in the race.
Women’s under-17 eight: 1. Victoria City, 6:49.61; 2. CRI, 3. TBI.
Bernd.Franke @niagaradailies.com 905-225-1624 | @TribSportsDesk