Belen Crew and Miami Rowing Club excel at largest youth nationals in Sarasota
The Belen Jesuit crew team was outstanding at two big events.
The Belen Boys’ Freshmen 8+ boat won a national championship during the Scholastic Rowing Association of America (SRAA) National Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
This marked the first gold for the Wolverines in the Freshmen Division at SRAA nationals. The history makers are Geoffrey Gipps, Noah Scott, David Caban, Evan Martinez, Benjamin Rammos, Felix Caceres, Aiden Furness, Marco Alberni, Nicolas Battistini
The Boys’ Varsity 8+ placed second to become the program’s first medalist in that event at SRAA nationals. They are Sabastian Lazo, Andrew Schmidt, Marcus Mantecon, Peter Schmidt, Andres Madrigal, Victor Salas, Victor Alberni, Nicolas Abril, Arturo Castelo.
Belen continued to excel a few weeks later.
Five Belen boats qualified for the finals at the recent 2023 US Rowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota.
Of those five boats, three earned medals. The Boys’ U17 single won gold with Marcus Mantecon at the helm.
The Boys’ U16 Coxswain (Geoffrey Gipps, Benjamin Rammos, Aiden Furness, Evan Martinez, Nicolas Battistini) also won gold, and the Boys’ U17 Quad (David Caban, Noah Scott, Evan Martinez, Benjamin Rammos) took bronze.
For the first time, the Boys’ Varsity 8+ (George Maloof, Andrew Schmidt, Marcus Mantecon, Peter Schmidt, Andres Madrigal, Victor Salas, Victor Alberni, Nicolas Abril, Arturo Castelo) advanced to the finals. They were second in the semifinals and then placed seventh overall.
The Boys’ U17 4+ (Geoffrey Gipps, Felix Caceres, Aiden Furness, Marco Alberni, Nicolas Battistini) also reached the finals.
How about this. Mantecon won gold in singles, after competing in the Varsity 8+ final.
“Just coming out of a very intense Varsity A+ final and only having 20 minutes of recovery, that was a very impressive accomplishment for Marcus against very good, top rowers in the nation,” Belen coach Yunian Cabrera said. “To go out and win that event, that says a lot of him.”
Cabrera was proud of Belen’s entire team for their efforts at youth nationals.
This marked the largest youth nationals in its history in Sarasota with 835 entries from 225 clubs across the country, totaling more than 4,000 athletes competing in the waters of Nathan Benderson Park.
Miami Rowing Club
Not to be outdone, the Miami Rowing Club also fared well at the 2023 US Rowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota.
Mateo Montero-Johnson from MAST Academy and Antonio Sevillano from Riviera Prep dominated the competition, seizing the gold medal and earning the esteemed title of first in the nation for the Boys’ U17 2x boat.
Adding to the club’s success, the Girls’ U17 4x boat delivered an exceptional performance, too, with the third fastest boat in the nation. Fabiana Audisio, Olivia Guevara and Celia Veiga from Mast Academy, along with Inez Menoyo-Kossick from Ransom Everglades secured the bronze medal.
In the Boys’ Varsity 4X boat, the team composed of Andres Hernandez-Ibañez from La Salle, Thomas Segrera from Ransom Everglades, Carlos Caban from Miami Country Day, and Barnett Pesin from Coral Reef placed ninth nationally.
Another standout performance came from Gonzalo Cortez from Mast Academy, Michael Kourakos from Palmer Trinity, Adam Kleinman from Gulliver, and Nikolas Dimitrakis from Columbus. They finished 12th overall in the Boys’ Varsity 4x boat.
In the Boys’ Varsity 4+ boat category, Nicolas Nadal from La Salle, Christian Burns from Ronald Reagan Senior High, George Pesin from Coral Reef, Sebastian Sanchez from Gulliver and coxswain Natalia Narvaez from Carrollton were 13th nationally.
MRC coach Cesar Herrera said. “We are elated to witness the culmination of the 2022-2023 season with such outstanding results. The hard work and dedication demonstrated by our rowers throughout the season have undeniably paid off in a significant way. We couldn’t be prouder of our team’s achievements, and we commend their exemplary performance at the US Rowing Youth National Championships.”
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Roundup compiled by Jim Varsallone
jvarsallone@miamiherald.com
