This weekend gave the Andover Boys Crew team a serious wakeup call. Kent defeated all of Andover’s boats. Teams representing Brookline High School and Lowell High School also attended the regatta, but only raced Andover in the third boat event due to inclement weather. The first race of the afternoon was the second varsity boat. “We were even, if not close, up until the last 200 meters of the race. We really put up a good fight,” Kathryn Quijano ’08, the coxswain of B2, said. Despite the rowers’ efforts, Kent pulled ahead in the sprint and won by about a boat length. Kent took the win in 4:45.9, a solid 2.9 seconds ahead of Andover. The highlight of the afternoon came with the first varsity race. The Dent Oars, a prestigious trophy, is awarded to the winners of the race each year. Kent has won the majority of the contests, but Andover earned the honor last spring. Kent took a quick lead during the first 500 meters. For a brief moment it seemed as if Andover would pull ahead when it made a move through the bridge, but Kent fended it off and by the halfway mark Kent held a three quarter length lead over Andover. Andover’s hopes were dashed when Kent began to sprint and pulled ahead by a few seats. They suffered the loss with a time of 4:42.1, three seconds behind its rival. The disappointing loss has infused the boys with even more determination. After the race, Captain Chip Schroeder ’08 said, “I think we’ve still got some speed to pick up.” The third and fourth boats were also beaten by Kent on Saturday to complete a clean sweep by the Kent crews.
