The Ridgewood Mens Youth 2x boat of junior Lucas Evers and sophomore Will Nasr rowed to a sixth-place finish at the 2024 USRowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo credit: Mark Riedel)
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Crew capped off its spring sprint rowing season in fine form at the four-day 2024 US Rowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida. Competing on the 2,000-meter course at Nathan Benderson Park in sweltering temperatures that reached the upper 90s each day, Ridgewood joined a massive field of 853 qualifying boats from 224 clubs around the country. In all, the team placed five out of its six boats in the top 16 and saw two boats row their way into the championship final.
Top standouts for the team this past weekend included the Mens Youth 2x pair of junior Lucas Evers and sophomore Will Nasr, who finished 6th-best in the country — and just 6.5 seconds out of first place in a heated final that saw several lead shifts (6:59.49). Coincidentally, the duo repeated the finish of Ridgewood’s Mens Youth 2x boat at last year’s USRowing Youth Nationals, where then-seniors Sam Boogaert and Tommie Clark also came in 6th overall.
Ridgewood’s other top-10 finisher this year came in the Mens Under 17 2x race, where the boat of sophomore Sam Scharfenberg and freshman Tristan Riedel powered their way to 7th place overall in the nation (7:25.89). As a testament to the level of competition in Sarasota, this pair had not finished below 1st place in any race this entire spring season prior to Youth Nationals.
“The athletes at the USRowing Youth Nationals regatta are the best of the best,” said Ridgewood Crew Head Coach Boris Roque-Alvarez. “For our team to place two boats in the top 10 and have several others make the top 16 is a testament to how hard these athletes have worked all year. This was a strong performance by our team against very tough competition in extreme conditions.”
Day one of the regatta, a series of individual event time trials, started off auspiciously. Though many events featured two dozen or more competitors, five of Ridgewood’s six boats landed in the top 16 and qualified for the championship semifinals on Friday. The Mens Youth 2x pair of Evers and Nasr set the pace early on Thursday, finishing fourth in their time trial (6:30.66). Their performance was matched in the afternoon by the team’s younger, Mens Under 17 pair, as Scharfenberg and Riedel also cruised across the line in fourth place (6:45.55).
Also qualifying for the semifinals was the Womens Youth 2x boat crewed by senior twin sisters Anais and Elsa Friedrich (7:27.29), which finished 13th. Sophomore Thelma Flowers came in 14th in the Womens Under 17 1x race (8:27.00).
Ridgewood’s final qualifier for the semis was the team’s youngest ever competitor at Youth Nationals, 14-year-old Graham Richardson. He slid across the finish line in 10th place, in the midst of a hard-fought time trial that saw just 2.2 seconds separate 7th from 12th place (7:22.42). In that same race, sophomore Luciano Saladino just missed the semifinals by less than a second, coming in 17th (7:33.29).
On Friday, Ridgewood’s Mens Youth 2x boat finished third in their semifinal heat, nipping on the heels of the 1st and 2nd place boats, who finished just 2.5 and .23 seconds ahead of them (6:52.04). The Mens Under 17 2x boat again equaled their teammates, coming in third in their semifinal race (7:23.56). As a result, both advanced to Sunday’s grand final.
Despite his age, Richardson came closest among Ridgewood’s other rowers to qualifying for the grand final, coming 6th in his semifinal (8:11.60). The Friedrich pair (7:59.52) and Flowers finished 7th in their respective semifinals (9:14.95).
The Ridgewood Crew pair of sophomore Sam Scharfenberg and freshman Tristan Riedel finished seventh overall in the country at the 2024 USRowing Youth National Championships Mens Under 17 2x event. (Photo Credit: Marc Riedel)
In the consolation B finals on Saturday, Ridgewood’s Richardson made a late move in the last 500 meters to stake his claim to third in the race, and finished 11th overall in the country (7:46.94). Flowers came in 7th in her B final, good enough for 15th overall (8:48.36). And the Friedrich sisters in the Womens Youth 2x boat rowed home to 8th in their B final, placing 16th nationwide (8:28.44).
In the Mens Under 17 1x C final, sophomore Luciano Saladino came in 4th, for a 20th-place overall finish in the event (8:03.76).
Full times and results for Ridgewood Crew at the 2024 USRowing Youth National Championships (https://regatta.time-team.nl/usrowing-youth-national/2024/results/events.php).
In the program’s 20-year history, Ridgewood Crew rowers have competed and excelled in both national and international competitions and its athletes have attracted interest from top rowing colleges and universities around the country. Ridgewood Crew offers several ways for you to experience our mission: join the team, volunteer, or donate. Student athlete programs begin with Learn-To-Row for middle schoolers. For more information contact Ridgewood Crew at http://www.ridgewoodcrew.com.
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