New Trier rowers leave mark in first major fall regatta in two years

The New Trier rowing program is picking up where it left off, leaving competition in its wake.

The Trevians men’s junior 8+ varsity boat took first place to lead a slew of top finishes at the Milwaukee River Challenge on Sept. 18.

The race marked the first time some crew members were competing for New Trier after the 2020 season was lost because of COVID-19 precautions.

“It was great for the team and parents to be back in action at a regatta competing again,” said Rose Marchuk, the program’s director and head coach, in a press release. “After lots of training, this was the first fall head race for many girls on the team who lost their prior fall season to COVID-related regatta cancellations.

“The depth of talent was evident by the strong race results. We look forward to refining our technique for Head of the Rock (on Oct. 10) in Rockford.”

According to the release, crews raced through downtown Milwaukee, enjoying sunny skies and support from teammates and supporters gathered along the Riverwalk.

“It felt amazing to be back on the water in an actual regatta and be able to cheer on my teammates,” senior and co-captain Chloe Burne said in the release.

New Trier boats also took firsts in men’s 4+ and women’s 4+ races.

Other boys crews picked up second-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place finishes on the afternoon, while in the women’s junior 8+ field, New Trier boats took second and and third.

“It was a gritty race, but New Trier absolutely dominated in the junior varsity boys category,” team co-captain Mateo Miller said. “This brings us one step closer on our road to Boston and the Head of the Charles Regatta (Oct. 22-24).”

New Trier Rowing debuted at the school in 2002. It competes in two seasons — fall and spring — and typically features as many as 140 rowers, according to the program.

The fall season builds to the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, an internationally recognized event.

Dozens of NT Rowing alumni have advanced to compete for colleges across the country, including numerous for renowned programs such as Princeton, Harvard, Penn and Yale. Plenty of others competed for Big 10 programs at Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and Iowa, to name a few.

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