North Allegheny Opens Doubleheader Weekend with Racing at Blake Haxton Regatta
by: Rowing Contributor
The North Allegheny Tigers kicked off their doubleheader weekend on Saturday, October 25 at the Blake Haxton Regatta, taking on a deep field of Midwest competition in their first of two days of racing on the Scioto River. The regatta drew fast crews from across the region, setting up a full day of competitive racing and valuable early-season experience for the Tigers.
The morning began with the Men’s Varsity 2x event, where North Allegheny fielded three strong entries. The duo of Christian Sperandeo and Cooper Lemon led the way for the Tigers, finishing 4th, with Ryan Lovejoy and Alex Repinski close behind in 5th, just 1.3 seconds behind their teammates. Max Disque and Daniel Choi rounded out the event with a 9th place finish, giving North Allegheny three finishes in the top half of the field.
The Tigers’ highlight of the day came from the Novice Men’s 4x+, as Ethan Murick, Maxx Buffat, Jace Laker, Finn Maguire, and coxswain Elise Kreiling surged to a silver medal performance, earning the team’s lone podium finish of the regatta. This lineup has found the podium at every race this fall season.
On the women’s side, the Women’s 1st Varsity 4x of Alexandra Edfors, Natalie Helffrich, Abby Greiner, and Jocelyn Munroe placed 6th in a competitive field, while the 2nd Varsity 4x (Ananya Doizhode, Lucy Hughes, Louisa Patel, and Lydia Humphrey) finished 9th.
The afternoon session featured several larger boats taking to the water, beginning with the Men’s 1st Varsity 4+ of Neil Pore, Max Disque, Daniel Choi, Nate Earnest, and coxswain Jocelyn Munroe, who finished 24th after a Henley-style start. The Men’s 2nd Varsity 4+ (Yuantao Tang, Matthew Collins, Emmett Robleto, Jamie Hamed, and coxswain Tai Luangkesorn) crossed the line 16th.
The Novice Women then delivered a pair of solid performances in their respective fours. The 1st Novice 4+ lineup of Lydia Humphrey, Lucy Hughes, Sloane Wetzel, Abby Lambert, and coxswain Ava Moore narrowly missed the podium, placing 5th, just five seconds off a medal and one second behind fourth place. In the 2nd Novice 4+, Tatiana Morillo, Sophia Savena, Alexis Sardonia, Elise Kreiling, and coxswain Emma Coca also earned a 5th place finish in their event.
Returning to the water, the Women’s Varsity Doubles saw Alexandra Edfors and Natalie Helffrich place 18th, while Natalie Patel and Louisa Patel finished 25th in a deep field.
The Novice Men’s 8+ (Ethan Murick, Maxx Buffat, Will Ason, Finn Maguire, Max Karn, Jace Laker, Bryce Munroe, Wyatt Johansen, and coxswain Kate Elliot) posted an 11th place finish, showing promising speed against several fast programs.
The day concluded with the Men’s Varsity Quads, where North Allegheny’s top lineup of Neil Pore, Alex Repinski, Christian Sperandeo, and Cooper Lemon earned 5th in the 1st Varsity 4x, while the 2nd Varsity 4x crews finished 5th (Ryan Lovejoy, Suraj Raina, Nate Earnest, Stephen Webber-Plank) and 13th (Yuantao Tang, Emmett Robleto, Jamie Hamed, Matthew Collins) respectively.
It was a full day of racing and learning opportunities for the Tigers, who gained valuable insight into the level of competition they’ll face later this spring. North Allegheny will return to action on the same course Sunday, October 26 for the Speakmon Memorial Regatta, closing out their two-day racing weekend in Columbus.
For a list of full results from the Blake Haxton Fall Regatta, click here.
