Boys Crew Sports Spring Sports

Captains Feature: Ben Hawley ’15 and Marc Sevastopoulo ’15

After sweeping St. Paul’s and Community Rowing Inc. (CRI) this past weekend, Andover Boys Crew has its sights set winning Interschols and ending its season on a strong note. Bolstering the team at the five and six spots on B1 are Co-Captains Ben Hawley ’15 and Marc Sevastopoulo ’15, two veterans who share a deep passion for rowing.

“The boys that make up our team are the most hardworking and humble guys I know. Playing an important role in the kind of a program that is Andover Crew is really special to me,” said Hawley.

B1 rower Jack Lane ’15 said, “[Hawley and Sevastopoulo] both really lead by example. They get everything done; they’re great at organizing. For instance, they gave out all the jerseys. They did that completely independently more or less, and then they always lead after-crew workouts, so I’d say that they’re just both really inspirational guys – hardworking, great rowers – [who] get guys to look up to them.”

Sevastopoulo attributes his leadership skills to the lessons he learned from previous captains on the team.

He said, “Over the past few years, the Captains have always been ready and excited to make sacrifices for the sake of the team. They knew how much work it would take for us to go fast, and that’s all they wanted to do, whether it was by pushing themselves through winter training or motivating their teammates to. We had a great season last spring, so I know that it’s worth making those sacrifices if it means winning more races.”

Sevastopoulo’s willingness to work for the benefit of the team stems from his competitive nature and drive to win. He tries to share his desire for success with his teammates. Hawley emphasizes the importance of focus and working as a unit. The duo have complimentary personalities and work together to lead the team very efficiently, as they work toward matching last year’s success.

Last season, Andover won the first place Team Trophy in the Interschols (NEIRA) Championships, with B1 finishing in first place and B2 and B3 both finishing in second. Sevastopoulo and Hawley use this past success as a motivator to win again. With many returners, including twelve Seniors between Andover’s B1 and B2, the team has great potential and experience on the water.

“Success at NEIRAs is always our goal as a program, but in order to achieve that goal, success during the regular season is vital. As such, we take it one race at a time and focus only on what we need to do this Saturday,” said Hawley.

Hawley, Sevastopoulo and the rest of Boys Crew will race against Tabor, Northfield Mount Hermon and Phillips Exeter Academy this Saturday.