Weekend Wrap: Impressive Performances at the Row Ontario Small Boat Regatta
Under clear blue skies and with warmer than usual May temperatures, the Row Ontario Small Boat Regatta was hosted on Saturday on the South Course of the Welland International Flatwater Centre.
Spectators were treated to some solid early season racing which saw impressive performances from athletes who raced down the Welland Canal in either singles or pairs throughout the course of the day. The day started with time trials at 8:30am, which were followed by semi-finals and repechage heats, followed by the finals to close out the day. There were almost 100 entries in the race from 21 Ontario clubs from across the province.
In women’s singles action, Cait Whittard (St. Catharines Rowing Club) was the big winner posting the fastest time of the day by coming in first in the A Final in a time of 7:47.87. Whittard started her day by earning the fastest time in the time trials and followed that up by winning her semi-final heat by six seconds in a time of 7:54.87. Madeson Scott (Notre Dame Rowing Club) placed second in the A Final in a time of 7:52.36, followed by Anna Pamenter (Don Rowing Club) who came in third in a time of 7:56.67.
An exciting men’s singles A Final was the closest race of the day, with Owen Kudreikis (St. Catharines Rowing Club) besting Lucas Maroney (Notre Dame Rowing Club) by just .46 seconds. Both rowers pulled hard to the line as the crowd was cheering them on and it was Kudreikis (7:04.49) who inched out Maroney (7:04.95) at the finish line. Coming in a close third was Kudreikis’ club teammate Owen Bartel (St. Catharines Rowing Club) who finished in a time of 7:05.46.
In pairs action, the duo of Malarie Jones and Meredith Hillmeyer (EL Crossley) completed a productive day by placing first in the women’s A Final, while Matthew Johnston and Owen Nicholls (Notre Dame Rowing Club) showed their early season form by winning the men’s A Final. Jones and Hillmeyer pulled further and further ahead in the last half of their race to win a time of 7:58.86. Johnston and Nicholls finished in the lead by nine seconds in their winning time of 7:05.94.
In addition to providing a great early season race opportunity for Ontario rowers of all ages, the Row Ontario Small Boat Regatta served as the on-water measure for U19 athletes attempting selection to the RCA U19 Team. Performance at the Small Boat Regatta also played a role in determining which aspiring Canada Summer Games athletes will be invited into the Final Selection camp. Members of the Ontario NextGen Performance Centre had a solid day as five of six competitors in the men’s singles A Final and all six competitors in the women’s singles A Final were either Centralized or Regional ONGPC athletes. The rowers were awarded medals for the results in U17, U19, U21, U23 and Senior race categories.
Results
Women’s Single Overall
1. Cait Whittard (St. Catharines Rowing Club) – 7:47.87
2. Madeson Scott (Notre Dame Rowing Club) – 7:52.36
3. Anna Pamenter (Don Rowing Club) – 7:56.67
Men’s Single Overall
1. Owen Kudreikis (St. Catharines Rowing Club) – 7:04.49
2. Lucas Maroney (Notre Dame Rowing Club) – 7:04.95
3. Owen Bartel (St. Catharines Rowing Club) – 7:05.46
Women’s Pair Overall
1. Malarie Jones, Meredith Hillmeyer (EL Crossley) – 7:58.86
2. Leslie Kelley, Mackenzie Mihorean (Western Rowing) – 8:15.28
3. Ava Semeniuk, Jacquie Groenewegen (Argonaut Rowing Club) – 8:16.81
Men’s Pair Overall
1. Matthew Johnston, Owen Nicholls (Notre Dame Rowing Club) – 7:05.94
2. Joe Coughler, Alexander Brandt (Western Rowing) – 7:15.01
3. Jared Boles, Chris Gomez (Brock University) – 7:24.02
For full results on the Row Ontario Small Boat Regatta, visit RegattaCentral.
For the full regatta schedule in Ontario, visit the Row Ontario website.
