In a frustrating finish to its season, the Girls Crew team’s first boat finished third at the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association Championships. But solid second places from the second and third boats awarded Andover second place as a team overall. Interschols took place on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, MA, and the 1500-meter race pitted the best crews in New England against each other. A strong cross tailwind made for fast conditions in the biggest race of the year. Unlike the single-competition races of the regular season, Interschols holds heats and finals. The first competition of the day was the Girls third boat preliminary race. Andover placed second in its heat with a time of 5:18.36, just two seconds behind a strong Kent boat. Andover headed into the girls third boat Final seeded in third behind Exeter and Kent. The girls had a very strong race, but were still unable to overcome a strong Exeter boat. Exeter’s wining time was 5:02.36, followed by Andover in 5:06.96. Kent followed with a time of 5:11.80, and St. Paul’s placed fourth in 5:14.96. Hanover and Simsbury rounded the final. Andover also raced well in the girls second boat’s preliminary race, placing second just two seconds behind St. Paul’s, who won in 5:07.86. Kent was the final boat to reach the finals, finishing third with a time of 5:13.22. Andover again raced well in the finals, but again was unable to match rival Exeter. Exeter’s winning time of 4:53.12 was over six seconds faster than Andover’s. Hanover took third place with a time of 5:01.85. St. Paul’s, Kent, and Tabor rounded out the six-boat race. The event of the day was the first boat race. With a time of 5:02.86, Andover placed first in preliminary heats and reached the finals. Hanover followed Andover with a time of 5:04.95. Placing third was Simsbury. Sacred Heart, Middletown and Concord all finished outside of the medal round. Because of a strong tailwind, the girls first boat final was uncharacteristically fast. Exeter once again took first and set a new course record of 4:46.6, over three seconds faster than St. Paul’s in second place. Andover closely trailed St. Paul’s to finish in third with a time of 4:52.4. Hanover, Tabor and Boston Latin rounded out the six-boat race. Andover finished second in the team competition, following Exeter.
