Boys Crew Takes 2nd Place in National Competition

The performance caps a season during which Andover captured the New England Prep School Interscholastic team championship for an unprecedented 3rd year in a row.

June 16, 2009 —The Phillips Academy boys crew capped an impressive season with a spectacular 2nd place finish in the 15th annual USRowing Youth National Championships, held June 12-14 on Harsha Lake in Bethel, Ohio. Racing in the 2000m men’s eights division, the boys first boat finished just 1.43 seconds behind the defending national champion, the Newport, California Aquatic Center, and one second ahead of third-place finisher, Kent School.

The competition, which attracts the best high school crew teams from across the country, required the team to stretch beyond its comfort zone, as the 2000m races in this competition are 500m longer than the races the team participates in during its regular season. Andover advanced to the championship event by winning both its opening heat and its semifinal heat (in 6:08.27 and 6:11.57 respectively) and then shaved more than 9 seconds off its best time to earn second pace in the finals (in 5:59.24).

Phillips Academy earned the right to compete in the national championships by narrowly edging out Kent School to win this year’s NE Prep School Interscholastic Championship, held in May 23 at Worcester's Lake Quinsigamond. Kent, which had beaten Andover when the two teams first met in a regular season race in April, was clearly looking to avenge that championship loss at the nationals. However, Andover’s strong performance ensured that was not to be.

The nine members of Andover’s B1 crew team are Teddy Teece (Berkley, CA), Kyle Rogers (Haverhill, MA), William Faulkner (Homer, AK), Steven Lee-Kramer (Princeton, NJ), Shaun Stuer (North Chelmsford, MA), Conor May (Burbank, CA), Tom Foley (New York, NY), Parker Washburn (Andover, MA), and coxswain Iris Chang (Studio City, CA). All nine of them are seniors.

"This year’s B1 boat and Coach Washburn are absolutely awesome,” said team parent Tom Foley, who accompanied the team and its coach, Peter Washburn, on the trip to Ohio. “They came to Ohio fit and ready to compete. The race today demonstrated the progress they’ve made since their first loss to Kent early in the season. To lose by only two seconds to a crew that rows twice a day all year and races 2000 meters during their regular season is remarkable. The lessons learned and friendships formed will last a lifetime."

Team captain Parker Washburn also praised his teammates, saying, "These guys sacrificed more this spring than any team I've been on at Andover. They each have the heart of champions."

For the full results from the national competition, visit the USRowing Web site at http://rowing.teamusa.org/news/article/13464