Jefferson crew rows to another title
By Dave Buschenfeldt
The Jefferson Men's Varsity 8 boat is not accustomed to trailing in races, so when the Colonials fell behind at the start of Saturday's Virginia Scholastic Rowing Championship Regatta final, it was an adjustment. The Jefferson rowers maintained their composure, however, pulling ahead in the middle of the race and capturing the gold medal by nearly a full boat length. Jefferson crossed the finish line more than two seconds ahead of second-place Yorktown.“The Varsity 8 boat is the flagship for our program,” said first-year coach Todd Jesdale. “They had a spectacular race. Not everything went perfectly for them, but they were able to come right through. They were understandably thrilled.”
The Jefferson Men's Varsity 8 boat won the state title last year as well and even competed in the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta in England, but of that group, only coxswain Raj Goel remains. Goel, a Herndon resident, teamed with a new crew this season, including Stephen Mathews (Fairfax Station), Chris Rutley (Lorton), Chris Gear (Leesburg), Nolan Pollack (Fairfax), Nader Al-Naji (Springfield), Patrick Collard (McLean), Colin Haas (Reston) and Phil Grisdela (Great Falls).
“This was a big race for them,” Jesdale said. “They've been great about learning everything new [with my coaching style]. They've been able to accomplish something significant. We're very pleased with it.”
The Men's Varsity 8 was not the only Jefferson boat to have success at Saturday's regatta. The Colonials' Women's 2nd 8 and Men's 3rd 8 both won gold medals as well, while the Men's 2nd 8 and Women's 3rd 8 each took the silver.
Jefferson's Men's Varsity 8 still has two regattas to compete in, starting with the Stotesbury Regatta in Philadelphia this weekend. The Colonials have won the event the last two years. They then will travel to Oak Ridge, Tenn., to compete in the Scholastic Rowing Association of America's National Championship Regatta on May 23 and 24.
“Getting a medal would be an accomplishment,” Jesdale said of the next two regattas. “We're going out to win. Who knows what we might be able to do.”
Several other local teams had success Saturday at the VSRC Regatta. McLean's Men's Varsity 8 boat finished third behind Jefferson and Yorktown. The Highlanders also placed first in the Women's Varsity 4, first in the Women's 2nd 4, first in the Women's 4x, second in the Women's Lightweight 8 and third in the Men's Lightweight 8.
In the Men's Lightweight 8, Madison finished first and Woodson took second. The Warhawks also took second in the Women's 2nd 4. Oakton placed first in the Women's Lightweight 4, while Fairfax placed second in the Men's Lightweight 4 and Langley finished second in the Men's 2nd 4.
T.C. Williams took first in the Women's Varsity 8, ahead of Robinson and Westfield. The Titans also placed first in the Women's 3rd 8, first in the Women's Lightweight 8, first in the Men's 2nd 8 and second in the Men's 3rd 8. Robinson took second in the Women's 2nd 8 and third in the Women's 3rd 8, while Westfield finished third in the Men's 2nd 8.