By Kristen Loszewski
Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Crew team returned to Spartan territory this fall to compete at the Head of the Grand regatta in Lansing on Saturday, September 30, 2023. It’s the first time the team has participated in the event since 2015. The 3,590 meter (2.23 mile) head race, nearly twice as long as most of the team’s fall distances, was hosted by the Michigan State Crew Club at its home course on the Grand River.
Hundreds of spectators lined the banks along the river in downtown Lansing’s Grand River Park to cheer on both college and high school teams, which raced concurrently. High school medals were awarded only for first place finishes in the Men’s and Women’s Varsity 8+ categories.
Ideal weather conditions made for a beautiful fall race day. Heavy early morning fog delayed racing for nearly an hour, but burned off as the sun quickly warmed the park to the mid 50’s by the time the first boats crossed the finish line. Abundant sunshine continued into the afternoon, with temperatures reaching as high as 75℉ when racing concluded around 3:00 p.m.
The high school division featured six teams–Pioneer was joined by the Detroit Boat Club, St. John’s Jesuit, Ann Arbor Huron, Forest Hills North East, and Spring Lake-Grand Haven.
In the first high school race of the day, the Pioneer Men’s Varsity 8+ rowed to an impressive, medal-winning, first-place finish, which bested the second-place boat by 17 seconds and led the way for a strong overall showing by the Pioneer crew. In all, the team had 5 first, 5 second, and 1 third place finishes in a total of 11 races entered. In many cases, Pioneer’s boats clocked faster times than some of the collegiate boats on the same course. Of special note was Pioneer’s entry of a total of five Men’s and Women’s 2x and 2- boats, a rarer sight for the team over the last few years post-pandemic. The Men’s Varsity 2x boats placed first and second in their race.
“All in all, it was a strong day of racing. The team looked really confident and relaxed on this long course,” remarked Pioneer Head Coach Scott Menoch. “It was especially great for them to get a chance row alongside these college teams and get a sense of what the sport looks like at the next level.”
The team wraps up its fall season with regattas on October 14 at Concordia University in Ann Arbor for the annual fall Head of the Gallup hosted by Skyline High School, and October 21 at the Kensington Charity Chase at Kensington Metropark in Milford.
GOLD
Men’s Varsity 8+ with a time of 12:32.0: Alder Saran, Will Schumacher, John Gronewold, Gavin Bassett, Rowan Higgins, Foster Dugan, Miguel Ng, Kellum Colquitt, with coxswain Georgia Busse
FIRST PLACE
Women’s Novice 8+ with a time of 16:46.1: Michal Davis, Padme Barclay, Kota Forrest, Hanna Chang, Sofia Mackler, May Thansin, Sofia Becker, Elif Saglik, with coxswain Carlie Lehrmann
Women’s Varsity 4+ with a time of 15:04.1: Anne Stroud, Alita Cunningham, Emmanuel Davis, Madeline Houston, with coxswain Cecilia Fortson
Men’s Varsity 4+ with a time of 13:45.1: Gavin Bassett, John Gronewold, Foster Dugan, Rowan Higgins, with coxswain Alexander Hsu
Men’s Varsity 2x with a time of 15:19.8: James Stross, Tyree Russell
SECOND PLACE
Women’s Varsity 8+ with a time of 14:34.2: Anne Stroud, Madeline Houston, Alita Cunningham, Emmanuel Davis, Jordan Davis, Maeve Coffman, Catherine Neal, Margaret Loszewski, with coxswain Cecilia Fortson
Men’s Varsity 4+ with a time of 14:07.9: Alder Saran, Will Schumacher, Cooper Duke, Miguel Ng, with coxswain Georgia Busse
Women’s Novice 4+ with a time of 17:47.3: Michal Davis, May Thansin, Kota Forrest, Hanna Chang, with coxswain Soleil Ascani
Men’s Varsity 2x with a time of 15:39.4: Henry Busse, Austin Sexton
Women’s Varsity 2- with a time of 19:34.0: Kaytlin Steinman, Margaret Loszewski
THIRD PLACE
Men’s Novice 8+ with a time of 17:07.5: Jason Soucie, Clyde Ankerson, Ian Rickard, Alexander Lee, Ethan Brady, Mason Rydell, Sebastian Willard, Eren Özil, with coxswain Soleil Ascani
MAIN PHOTO: Pioneer Men’s Varsity 2x (photo credit: Tomiyo Wemert)
