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Gold Rush of Medals for High Point at Clemson Sprints – Masters & Collegiate Regatta

High Point rowers were rewarded for their efforts with boatloads of medals at the 2018 Clemson Masters & Collegiate Regatta at Clemson University.

Clemson University, South Carolina – High Point rowers travelled to the Clemson Sprints for Masters & Collegiate rowers on Saturday and returned home with medals won in a number of masters and open events.

High Point’s masters women’s coxed four of Jackie King, Erin Sanders, Shelli York and Beverly Snively opened racing on Lake Hartwell with a silver medal just a boat length behind one of Asheville rowing club’s two entries.

Women’s Masters Four
Asheville B 4 minutes 3 seconds
High Point 4:06
Asheville A 4:16
Belmont 4:23
Cape Fear 4:26

Coach Gene Kininmonth with his silver medal crew of Jackie King, Erin Sanders, Bev Snively, and Shelli York at the 2018 Clemson Sprints.

William Hundley then took gold in the lightweight single sculls event with a race time of 8 minutes 11 seconds over the 2,000 meter race course. He beat out Belmont and Atlanta in the final.

William Hundley won three gold medals at the 2018 Clemson Sprints.

Next up for High Point was the women’s open pairs event. High Point entered three crews in this event and High Point rowing coach Katie Eliades raced in a High Point University pair as well. Nine crews entered the event in two heats in which the first three in each heat would qualify for the final. All three High Point crews and HPU qualifed for the grand final in the afternoon and finished 1-4!!!

Women’s Open Pairs Final
High Point (Junior Ognovich/Scarlett Hanna) 8 minutes 17 seconds
High Point (Molly Hilemn/Lindsay York) 8:27
High Point (Ainsley Fox/Charlotte Curri) 8:32
HPU (Coach Katie Eliades) 9:00
Univ of Tennessee (Chattanooga) 9:12
NC State – Scratched

Junior Ognovich and Scarlett Hanna won gold in the women’s open pairs event at the 2018 Clemson Sprints.
Lindsay York and Molly Hilemn row to the start at the 2018 Clemson Sprints.
Charlotte Curri and Ainsley Fox are all smiles after winning bronze in the open pairs final at the 2018 Clemson Sprints.

Following lunch High Point rowers returned to the water for the mixed masters eights final. Charlotte Curri exchanged her sweep oar for the rudder strings of the coxswains seat for this race with Jackie King and Erin Sanders setting up the rhythm from the stern. Dave Gignac, Gene Kininmonth, Kiwi Mike Hitchcock, and Jerald Winter powered the pistons from the engine room with Shelli York and Traci Loria providing finesse from the bow pair in what would be a seven boat final on Lake Hartwell. It was nip and tuck all the way with results still pending following a forensic examination of age related handicaps. Regardless, well rowed High Point!

The medals kept coming for High Point rowers with Junior Ognovich and Arte Blythe finishing first and second in the Women’s Open Singles final.

Men’s Open Pairs Final
High Point (William Hundley/Harry Capizzi) 7 minutes 41 seconds
Clemson University 8:11
Liberty U 8:13
Auburn U 8:31
Tennessee 9:33
Georgia State Scratched

Will Hundley and Harry Capizzi won the men’s open pairs event at the 2018 Clemson Sprints against collegiate competition.
Beverly Snively, Jerald Winter, Dave Gignac and Traci Lori teamed up to race the mixed masters quad sculls race at the 2018 Clemson Sprints.

High Point rowers also finished first and second in the mixed Open DoubleSculls Final.

Mixed Open Double Sculls Final
High Point (Will Hundley/Scarlett Hanna) 7 mins 52 seconds
High Point (Harry Capizzi/Emily Winberg) 8:02
Belmont A 8:04
Belmont B 8:49

William Hundley won his third gold medal at the 2018 Clemson Sprints when he teamed up with Scarlett Hanna in the Mixed Open doublesculls event. The duo won with a time of 7 minutes 52 seconds.