Ranney School Crew Team Qualifies For U.S. Rowing National Championship

With only two years to its credit, Ranney School’s Crew team has accomplished much since its inception in 2008. Today, members of the school’s crew team are now vying for national recognition thanks to their recent victories in the first-ever U.S. Rowing Mid-Atlantic Junior District Championships held on May 8 at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, NJ.

Under the direction of seasoned Ranney crew coaches Chris Meharg and Christine Repoli, the Ranney Crew team distinguished themselves in a wide variety of events that qualified several members for participation in the U.S. Rowing National Championship set to take place in Cincinnati, OH, from June 11-13.

Ranney sophomore Craig Slater placed first in the men’s Varsity Single with a 7:56.32, thus earning him entry into the National Championship next month. Fellow sophomores Phillip Allen and Victor Gainor, along with freshmen Jordan Hesslein and Nicholas Schwarzkopf, demonstrated their exceptional talent and skill on the water as they placed fourth in the men’s Varsity Quad race.

In the Women’s Varsity Single, Ranney junior Meghan Rennie captured the gold in a close race to the finish line with a time of 9:01.40, just two seconds ahead of the second place finisher. Sophomores Kaitlyn Bovino, Yasmin Meleis, Hannah Simpson, and Alexa Volpe finished second and brought home the silver with a time of 8:34.39.

Like Slater, Meghan Rennie and the girls’ Varsity Quad qualified for the upcoming National Championship, and all will be on their way to Ohio, as well.

According to Coach Christine Repoli, “One of the most important components of Crew is that the team must work in perfect unison to be successful. Our athletes have been so focused this season. Every day, the team is excited to get on the river. This is a tremendous opportunity for the entire program. Every rower now understands the amount of hard work required to get to this level. This makes every rower better because they are all striving to reach new heights.”

For additional information on all Ranney School news, please contact the Communications Department at communications@ranneyschool.org.