The Rumson Fair Haven crew team entered six boats and 32 athletes from novice to varsity in the the Garden State Scholastic Championships at Cooper River Park, Pennsauken.
The RFH Crew Mens Senior 4-plus turned in an impressive performance which qualified them to advance to the Scholastic Rowing Association of America National Championships Regatta.
This is the second consecutive year that an RFH crew boat has qualified for the national championship.
Crew athletes representing 39 high school clubs from 36 cities across New Jersey met on the Cooper River for the state regatta.
The Mens Senior 4-plus team, crewed by Dughan Ahimovic, Matt Baumer, Chris Cerruti, Jonathan Decelle and coxed by Jason Post, had a stellar performance.The RFH Crew Varsity men finished second in their qualifying heat, posting the third fastest qualifying time of the day of 5:25:04 for the event.
This crew has displayed power and endurance throughout the season taking first place at the North Jersey Championship Regatta held earlier this month.
In the much anticipated Mens Varsity 4-plus final, the men rowed strong and finished in third place, earning a bronze medal, with a time of 5:24.30, third overall in the state, qualifying for a trip to the national championships regatta which will be held May 25-26 at the Cooper River Park.
The RFH Crew Womens Senior 4-plus crewed by Tessa Liberi, Suzanne McHeffey, Hope Knochenhauer, Jacqueline Moser and coxed by Shannon Swikart finished second in the qualifying heat with a time of 6:22.28 to advance to the finals in an attempt to qualify for their second straight SRAA Championship appearance. However, it was not to be on this day as the women rowed well but did not place in the top four, finishing seventh overall in the state with a time of 6:32.40.