The Ocean City High School girls rowing team made quite an impression Saturday at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America’s National Championship Regatta at Dillon Lake in Ohio.
The Girls JV8+ coxswain boat, winners last week at the prestigious Stotesbury Regatta in Philadelphia, proved that victory was no fluke, taking the gold medal. The preliminary rounds of the Nationals competition took place Friday, with semifinals and finals held Saturday.
When the team members arrived back home, they were treated to a hero’s welcome with an escort into Ocean City by the Ocean City Police and Fire Departments.
The JV8+ coxswain boat drew Lane 3 in the final and turned in a winning time of 0:5.07.255 to easily defeat second place Mt. St. Joseph (Pa.) by a 6.284–second margin of victory.
Members of the national champion JV8+ team are Coxswain McKenzie Thurlow and Stroke: Ryleigh Mack, Alexis O’Keefe, Vanessa Karayiannis, Michaela Carroll, Julianna Giardina, Maggie Clunn, Carly Dougherty and Alexia Schmidt.
The winning JV8+ boat is named the “Dr. Kathleen Taylor” after the Ocean City School District Superintendent, who was selected as the 2018 New Jersey Superintendent of the Year.
