PENNSAUKEN, N.J. – Youth rowers from the South Jersey Rowing Club (SJRC) took top spots in national and international races recently.
The club’s women’s double racing team participated in the Henley Women’s Regatta on the Thames River in Henely, England, from June 18th to 23rd, making them the second crew from the Camden County Boathouse to ever race overseas.
After qualifying for the final, seeded first out of 32 boats, SJRC’s duo placed second in the race against rowers from across the world.
“To go all that way, against that competition, and finish second place is an incredible accomplishment that these girls, and all of us, should be proud of,” Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. said in a statement. “We have put a lot of effort into making the Cooper River a premiere racing and training destination for the county’s athletes. To put a team onto an international podium just confirms the top tier status of our resources here in Camden County, and reaffirms why we developed the boathouse in the first place.”
The second-place women’s duo was propelled Regan McDonnell, a senior at Haddonfield High School who will be rowing at Stanford next year, and Elle Caton, a senior at West Chester High School who will be rowing at the University of Michigan in the fall. McDonnell and Caton also placed fifth at the National Championship in Sarasota, Florida, on June 9th.
Also in Florida, the boy’s quad from Haddon Township, placed fifth in their respective races. That group was comprised of high school juniors Jack Haigh, Nick Perks, and Jack Savell, along with senior Vince Fitzpatrick who will be rowing at Temple University next year.
More than 400 rowers practice on Cooper River every day, while the Camden County Boathouse serves as a host location for competitive and recreational rowers, alike. Five different high school level clubs, one collegiate club, and two adult rowing clubs call the Camden County Boathouse home.
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