Photos by Laurie Porter and Melissa Walker

The Gunston School hosted the Maryland State High School Rowing Championships on Saturday, April 27 on its 75-acre waterfront campus. The event was sponsored by Washington College with support from USRowing. With the participation of five schools—Gunston, Roland Park Country School, Freedom Rowers, Notre Dame Preparatory High School, Baltimore Community Rowing, and Elizabeth Seton High School—the event marked a significant gathering of rowing talent.
In the first race of the day, Gunston’s men’s novice 4 came in a close second place, giving it their all as they chased Freedom Rowers down the course. Despite a valiant effort, they couldn’t quite catch up as Freedom pulled further ahead during the sprint. The Gunston Herons went on to celebrate multiple victories throughout the day, clinching first place finishes in five of the seven categories the Herons were entered in: Women’s Varsity Double, Women’s JV 4 “A” Entry, Men’s JV 4 “A” Entry, Men’s Varsity 4, and Men’s Varsity 8. 

The men’s varsity 8 race was particularly thrilling, being the closest race of the day. With Freedom Rowers pulling ahead at the start, Gunston displayed exceptional teamwork and determination catching up halfway through the course and holding their lead, ultimately pulling ahead in the sprint by a remarkable 2.6 seconds, clocking the fastest time of the day at 5:24. 
Ben Lutz ‘24 emerged as the MVP of the day, racing three times and securing gold medals in all three events. His dedication and performance were commendable, stepping up due to another athlete’s injury. 

Reflecting on the event, Assistant Athletic Director for Waterfront Athletics and Head Crew Coach Natalie Reading said “We were thrilled to be able to welcome four additional schools to this event for the second year in a row! I’m incredibly proud of the hard work our team has been putting in all season long. Today was an opportunity for them to showcase their effort and dedication. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about mental motivation, and how that plays a huge role on race day. The Herons had a strong showing, pushing hard to cross the finish line first in multiple races.”

Also on campus to capture the day was the leading rowing photography and results company, Row2k. Click on the link to view images!