TIGERS CLOSE INDOOR SEASON STRONG AT 25TH ANNUAL ERG IN THE BURGH
by: Rowing Contributor
The North Allegheny Rowing Association hosted the 25th Annual Erg in the Burgh on Saturday, February 21, at Marshall Middle School, welcoming more than 230 athletes from across the Pittsburgh region for a full day of high-energy indoor racing. The milestone event celebrated a quarter-century of competition while showcasing the depth and development of the Tigers’ program from middle school through varsity.
The day began with the Coxswain 1K races, where North Allegheny’s Ava Moore set the tone early. Moore surged to gold, winning by more than 20 seconds and igniting momentum that would carry through the remainder of the competition.
The novice races followed, and the Tigers quickly made their presence felt. On the women’s side, six novice athletes competed, with Kate Elliot and Sadhana Kuppuraj each delivering personal-best performances.
The novice men’s squad matched that intensity. Max Karn, Maxx Buffat, Finn Maguire, Nils Arteel, Bryce Munroe, and Wyatt Johansen all posted new personal records. Buffat earned silver in the Novice Men’s Lightweight event, while Karn captured silver in the open Novice Men’s race, finishing just 0.8 seconds behind first place and a commanding 47 seconds ahead of third.
The junior varsity events featured the largest North Allegheny entries of the day, underscoring the program’s depth.
In the JV Women’s Lightweight race, Lydia Humphrey powered to a bronze medal and a new personal best, joined by teammates Jocelyn Munroe, Louisa Patel, and Natalie Patel, who also recorded PRs. In the open JV Women’s category, Lucy Hughes, Tatiana Morillo, and Sophia Savena each lowered their previous times.
The JV men continued the surge. Stephen Webber-Plank and Tai Luangkesorn both set personal records in the lightweight event, each cutting five to six seconds from their previous times. In the open JV Men’s race, eight of 10 Tigers (Daniel Choi, Max Disque, Nate Earnest, Nik Kshirsagar, Jace Laker, Suraj Raina, Emmett Robleto, and Yuantao Tang) achieved new personal bests, highlighting the team’s steady winter progression.
North Allegheny’s varsity rowers added to the medal count as Natalie Helffrish secured bronze in the Women’s Varsity event. On the men’s side, all four varsity competitors (Cooper Lemon, Neil Pore, Alex Repinski, and Christian Sperandeo) posted personal records, capping a day that saw the Tigers amass 30 PRs overall.
The day concluded with mixed 3K relays, featuring teams of six athletes each rowing 500-meter legs. North Allegheny entered a varsity, two JV, and a novice lineup.
The Varsity crew (Natalie Helffrich, Cooper Lemon, Neil Pore, Sophia Savena, Christian Sperandeo, and Sloane Wetzel) fought hard to earn third place. The JV A team (Max Disque, Ananya Doizhode, Lucy Hughes, Lydia Humphrey, Ryan Lovejoy, and Emmett Robleto) captured gold, while the JV B lineup (Will Ason, Daniel Choi, Abby Greiner, Nik Kshirasagar, Tatiana Morillo, and Jocelyn Munroe) finished fourth in a competitive six-boat field. The Novice relay team of Maxx Buffat, Kate Elliot, Max Karn, Abby Lambert, Finn Maguire, and Alexis Sardonia delivered a dominant performance, winning by more than 20 seconds.
With Erg in the Burgh marking the final indoor event of the season, North Allegheny Rowing now shifts its focus to on-water training. The progress made over the winter, reflected in 30 personal records and multiple podium finishes, provide a strong foundation as the Tigers prepare for spring competition.
The team officially opens its spring season at Moraine State Park on March 9 and will travel to Michigan for its first regatta of the year at the Huron River Sprints on April 18.
