October 11, 2025  |  Marietta, OH

North Allegheny Rowing traveled to the banks of the “Mighty Musky” on Saturday, October 11 to compete in the Head of the Muskingum, a 3-mile head race held in Marietta, Ohio. With 18 entries across various events, the Tigers used this regatta as an opportunity to test new lineups, gain valuable racing experience, and build on momentum from the previous week.

The day kicked off with strong performances from the Women’s Novice 4+ entries, who set the tone early. The first boat (Lydia Humphrey, Lucy Hughes, Tatiana Morillo, Sophia Savena, and coxswain Ava Moore) raced to a 3rd place finish, securing the team’s first medal of the day. Close behind in 4th place was the second Tigers’ entry of Sloane Wetzel, Abby Lambert, Alexis Sardonia, Kate Elliot, and coxswain Emma Coca, finishing just seven seconds off the podium.

In the singles events, North Allegheny showed promising individual strength. Stephen Webber-Plank placed 3rd in the Men’s U17 1x, while in the Men’s U19 1x, Neil Pore and Max Disque finished 3rd and 5th, respectively. The Men’s U17 4+ lineup of Will Ason, Yuantao Tang, Matthew Collins, Jamie Hamed, and coxswain Tai Luangkesorn brought determination, earning a 7th place finish in a competitive field.

The doubles then took center stage. In the Women’s U19 2x, Alexandra Edfors and Natalie Helffrich showed strong improvement from the previous week, finishing 4th, just four seconds out of medal contention. In the Women’s U17 2x, Abby Greiner and Jocelyn Munroe turned in a strong performance, finishing 2nd to claim silver. In the Men’s U19 2x, North Allegheny entered two boats. The duo of Cooper Lemon and Christian Sperandeo claimed 4th, while Ryan Lovejoy and Alex Repinski, with limited practice time in their lineup, stormed down the course and captured 1st place, winning by an 8-second margin and securing the Tigers’ only gold of the day.

After a quick turnaround from the earlier 4+ races, the Novice Women returned to the course in the Women’s Novice 8+, with a lineup of Lydia Humphrey, Lucy Hughes, Sloane Wetzel, Abby Lambert, Tatiana Morillo, Sophia Savena, Alexis Sardonia, Elise Kreiling, and coxswain Emma Coca. The crew raced to a strong 2nd place finish and claimed silver. Following them were the Novice Men (Ethan Murick, Maxx Buffat, Jace Laker, Finn Maguire, Max Karn, Wyatt Johansen, Bryce Munroe, Corrado Salvatore, and coxswain Kate Elliot) who placed 4th in the Men’s Novice 8+.

The Varsity Women’s U19 4+ entry of Alexandra Edfors, Natalie Helffrich, Abby Greiner, Jocelyn Munroe, and coxswain Ava Moore competed in one of the largest events of the day, finishing 12th overall.

The Tigers also fielded three entries in the quad (4x) events. In the Men’s U19 4x, Neil Pore, Alex Repinski, Christian Sperandeo, and Cooper Lemon battled hard to earn 3rd place, while Ryan Lovejoy, Max Disque, Will Ason, and Stephen Webber-Plank followed closely behind in 4th. In the Men’s U17 4x event, Matthew Collins, Yuantao Tang, Jamie Hamed, and Tai Luangkesorn raced down the course to secure 4th place, just missing the podium by five seconds. The crew came off the water extremely happy and satisfied with their piece, proud of the effort and teamwork they put into the race.

In one final push, the novice boys jumped straight out of their 8+ into two fours for the Men’s Novice 4+ event. The first lineup (Ethan Murick, Maxx Buffat, Jace Laker, Finn Maguire, and coxswain Elise Kreiling) secured 3rd place. The second 4+, made up of Max Karn, Wyatt Johansen, Bryce Munroe, Corrado Salvatore, and coxswain Kate Elliot, finished 10th.

By the end of the day, North Allegheny Rowing had earned a total of eight medals: 1 Gold, 2 Silver, and 5 Bronze.
Beyond the podium finishes, the Tigers walked away with meaningful takeaways, well-executed race plans, continued technical and mental growth, and valuable experience that will carry forward into the rest of the fall season. Across the board, athletes returned to the docks feeling proud, focused, and fired up for what’s next.

North Allegheny Rowing looks to take the lessons learned from their first two races of the season, make the changes needed, and continue to build speed over the next two weeks. The team will return to Ohio, this time to Columbus, for a doubleheader race weekend, competing at the Blake Haxton Fall Regatta and the Speakmon Memorial Regatta on October 25 & 26.

Full results from the Head of the Muskingum can be found here.

Posted in 2025-26 Season