Sarasota, Florida – Two of three High Point crews qualified for the finals at the USRowing Southeast Regional Championships on Saturday.
Adam Alt and Kyle Koval earned a grand final spot in the Men’s Youth Double sculls event on Saturday morning with a third place finish in the heats. The duo are the first High Point male crew to qualify for a final at the regional regatta.
On Sunday, Adam and Kyle finished in 5th place ahead of Atlanta in the six boat final.
Men’s Youth Doublesculls
1. Miami 6 minutes 53.37 seconds
2. Jacksonville 7:01.809
3. Sarasota 7:06.363
4. Miami Beach 7:12.898
5. High Point 7:30.918
6. Atlanta 7:33.981
“It’s good to see everyone come together and put in that work,” said Adam after racing. “I’m proud with the double, breezing to the finals and then pulling off a good sprint at the end to walk on Atlanta. Taking 5th did feel good. Sad that’s there’s no second chance at it next year but I guess four years ultimately led up to this.”
“You can’t fake your way into a final like this,” says boys varsity Coach Gene Kininmonth. “To make a final at this level of competition you have to commit in the fall season and carry that commitment through the winter. Kyle and Adam have earned this result and they can be proud of their efforts.”
High Point’s second finals appearance on Sunday was in the Women’s Youth Eights event.
High Point was seeded 7th out of eight teams in the event but on Saturday the crew of cox Morgan Epling, stroke Victoria Goldin, Maddie Mullins, Junior Ognovich, Aliute Udoka, Emma Lloyd, Jaclyn Hronich, Olivia Corriere, and Shelby Reece upset the pundits by beating St Andrews in the first round, which earned them a place in the final.
On Sunday, the High Point crew continued to show its surprising pedigree in the final with a 4th place finish ahead of in state rival Asheville and Sarasota.
Women’s Youth Eights
1. Atlanta 6 minutes 58.65 seconds
2. Oarlando (OARS) 7:02.85
3. Nashville 7:04.608
4. High Point 7:14.056
5. Asheville 7:14.982
6. Sarasota 7:22.85
The result matched the crew’s 2015 performance. “We tell our crews to go out and have fun before each race,” says the varsity girls coach Allie Davis. “There is nothing more fun for a crew than performing at your peak on race day.”
