Varsity Rowing—led by Head Coach Wayne Berger, Assistant Coaches Rebecca Findlay and Amanda McClure, and co-captains Lillie Dase ’26, Chloe El Hadj ’25, Helena Inzerillo ’25, Daniel Qu ’25, and Mark Zhu ’26—is gearing up for the spring season.
The team joined the New England Interscholastic Rowing Association (NEIRA) in 2019. Compared to other nearby boarding schools, Hotchkiss has a relatively new team. So far, the top boys and girls boats have qualified for the New England championship every year since the program was founded.
Co-captain Lillie Dase ’26 said, “Last year we were able to qualify two girls’ boats and one of the boys’ boats for finals, and the second boys’ boat just barely missed.”
This is Coach Berger’s third season leading the team. He said, “This year, Varsity Rowing is making a significant switch from eight rowers and a coxswain per boat to four rowers and a coxswain.” The switch will allow the school to compete against smaller schools such as Taft, rather than the powerhouse programs of Phillips Andover and Exeter.
As part of the switch to four- rower boats, the team acquired five new Filippi boats, which were donated by several current rowers’ families.
Zhu said, “The Olympians race in Filippi boats, so we anticipate winning some regattas with them this year.”
The change from eight to fours will also allow more boats to qualify for the New England championships.
Coach Rebecca Findlay said, “We have a new set of competitors thanks to that change, so there are a lot of exciting developments.”
Before the regular season began, the team took a preseason trip to Boston. Twenty-eight students spent a week rowing on the Charles River.
New rower Mattea Kontokosta ’28 said, “The trip was lots of fun, and it got us prepared for the regular season. On the Charles River we had rowers from Brown University and MIT racing along with us. It was fascinating and they set a great example.”
In addition, Keven Luiru ’27 said, “As someone who is new to rowing, getting on the water with the more experienced rowers helped me learn quickly, because I didn’t have space to mess up and was under a lot of pressure.”
The team’s main goal for the season is to qualify as many boats as possible (up to eight) for the New England Championships.
Reflecting on last season, Zhu said, “Last year we qualified for semifinals, but we lost by one second, and we were really close to having made it to the finals. We know that this year we’re going to return and make it to the finals.”
Dase said, “Team camaraderie is critical, because when you’re in a boat, you’re not doing it for yourself. You’re all rowing together. I hope that we can operate as one whole team rather than many different boats.”
Although Varsity Rowing lost four Seniors after last season, Coach Berger said of the new recruits, “They bring a new flow of energy to the team. We do have some kids who’ve done some rowing, but what I encourage as a coach is for them to not just be rowers. The most important thing is how this team operates as a whole and how well they get along.”
The team’s next competition is on Saturday, April 19, at Pomfret, against Pomfret, Hopkins, and NMH.
