Six Exeter boats returned to Lake Quinsigamond today to race for medals in the 64 annual New England Interscholastic Rowing Association (NEIRA) Championship Regatta.  The girls squad took gold in the G2 race by open water and bronze in the G1 and G3 races.  The boys side took bronze in the B3 race, with the B1 and B2 boats getting eked out of medal contention.  Full results:

G1		G2		G3
Andover	5:26.329	Exeter	5:30.388	Kent	5:47.261
Kent	5:29.671	Andover	5:36.557	Andover	5:54.300
Exeter	5:35.563	Kent	5:38.979	Exeter	5:55.732
St. Paul’s	5:36.013	Hanover	5:45.840	St. Paul’s	5:58.234
Greenwich	5:40.548	Boston Ltn	5:55.662	Hanover	6:03.895
Hanover	5:52.042	Farmington	6:02.266	Tabor	6:26.331
B1		B2		B3
Kent	4:40.554	Andover	4:51.285	St John’s	4:59.750
Salisbury	4:45.619	Kent	4:58.043	Kent	5:04.746
Andover	4:45.621	St John’s	5:01.855	Exeter	5:05.287
Exeter	4:45.808	Exeter	5:02.997	Andover	5:11.720
St. Paul’s	4:55.714	Salisbury	5:10.317	Brunswick	5:13.040
Hanover	5:01.843	St. Paul’s	5:15.690	Salisbury	5:23.505

Weather conditions in Worcester were generally favorable, with mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s.  Crews rowed against a slight headwind throughout most of the day.

Race Photos

B1

G1

B2

G2

B3

G3

All Photos

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The racing season culminates every year with the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association Championship Regatta, otherwise known as NEIRAs.  The top three boats from the boys and girls squads will return to Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Massachusetts to race against dozens of other schools.

The 1500 meter racecourse begins near the Donahue Rowing Center to the north and ends in front of Quinsigamond State Park to the south.  Boats will race once during the morning heats and again during the afternoon finals.  The second and third eights must place in the top three of their six-boat heats to proceed to the grand final, while the first eights must place in the top two for the grand final.  The lane assignments in the heats are determined by that boat’s record throughout the regular season.

The below table lists each boat’s record this season, its seed, lane assignment, heat time, and presumptive grand final time.

In addition to the gold, silver and bronze medals awarded to each of the top three boats in the finals, a number of ceremonial trophies are awarded on an annual basis to the winning crews. The Father Frederick H. Sill Bowl and Dixon “Tote” Walker Cup are awarded to the boys first and second eights respectively, as well as the Kenneth F. Burns Trophy and Converse Prudden Prize to the girls first and second eights respectively.

In addition to the medals and ceremonial event trophies, the Hart Perry Cup and Gilcreast Bowl are awarded to the programs which earned the most points in the boys and girls eights events respectively. Points are awarded based on the place in which each boat finishes in its event–with more points alloted from more competitive events.

A few reminders regarding the regatta:

• Crews will launch from Quinsigamond State Park near the finish line. Click here for directions.
• Lane 1 is to the west closer to Worcester, Lane 6 is to the east closer to Shrewsbury.
• Parking is limited along Lake Avenue and not allowed in the Quinsigamond State Park lot. However, plenty of parking is available only a few minutes West at the University of Massachusetts Medical School guest parking lot. All day parking costs $4.
• The entrance fee for the regatta is $5. Included with entrance fee is an official regatta program.
• A printable results sheet is available for download here.
• Additional rowing merchandise and memorabilia will be available from vendors at the regatta.

Best of luck to all crews!

Eight Exeter boats travelled to Turkey Pond in Concord, New Hampshire to race St. Paul’s and Concord.  The girls squad made a clean sweep of the competition, with wide margins in all four races.  The boys squad took three of four races, with the B1 finishing barely a length behind St. Paul’s.   Full results:

G1		G2		G3		G4
Exeter	05:53.9	Exeter	05:47.4	Exeter	06:29.1	Exeter	06:29.6
St. Paul’s	06:12.1	St. Paul’s	06:12.2	St. Paul’s	06:52.7	St. Paul’s	06:45.1
Concord	06:28.2	Concord	06:51.6	Concord	07:27.0	Concord	07:03.2
B1		B2		B3		B4
St. Paul’s	04:49.4	Exeter	05:03.8	Exeter	05:35.6	Exeter	05:51.3
Exeter	04:51.7	St. Paul’s	05:07.1	St. Paul’s	05:40.2	St. Paul’s	05:55.1
Concord	05:23.1	Concord	05:35.1	Concord	05:50.4	Concord	06:16.1

Although skies were sunny with temperatures in the 70s, crews struggled against a strong northerly headwind that slowed finishing times throughout the day.

The top three boats from the boys and girls squads now look towards the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association (NEIRA) Championship Regatta next Saturday, May 22, at Lake Quinsigamond.  Boats will race the 1500 meter racecourse twice: once during preliminary heats in the morning and again in the afternoon finals.  The second and third eights must place in the top three of their six-boat heats to proceed to the grand final, while the first eights must place in the top two for the grand final.  The heats’ lane assignments are based on each boat’s seed, a ranking determined by the NEIRA seeding committee based on the boat’s performance in races during the regular season.  Seeds and race times will be posted later this week as they are made available by NEIRA.

Best of luck to all Exeter boats as they prepare for their final races of the season!

Race Photos

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