Varsity Rowing Boats Capsize in Chester River
Lily Riesett
On Mar. 25, Washington College Varsity Rowing hosted their annual 2-kilometer regatta, the “Washington College Invitational.” Here, the St. Mary’s College of Maryland Seahawks were able to race a handful of teams in their Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference, the schools the Seahawks will be competing against for a shot at going to NCAA Championships at the end of the Spring. Unexpectedly, what was gearing up to be an exciting day of racing turned out to be a scary event, especially for the women’s team.
The first races of the morning seemed to go off without a hitch. The Women’s Varsity 1V+ were able to claim a win in their heat against Bryn Mawr and Franklin and Marshall. Due to clashing oars at the start, the race had to be stopped and picked back up again at the 1500 meter mark for safety reasons. Because of this win, they were expected to compete in the Grand Final later in the afternoon.
Both the Men’s Varsity 1+ and 2+ were able to get strong rounds of racing in as well. Unfortunately, both boats came in 3rd place, but the V1+ was supposed to be given a second chance at racing in the afternoon.
Following these three races, the weather on the Chester River took a turn for the worse. What had been a cool, misty morning turned into a full blown storm in seconds, with multiple-foot waves and wind gusts over 30MPH. At this time, the boats competing in the Women’s Varsity 2 and 3+ race were on the warm-up course, headed towards the starting line.
Due to the extreme conditions, a St. Mary’s boat and Washington College boat collided with a nearby dock, flipping both of the boats. One rower was trapped in the collision, but was pulled out with the help of her teammates. All other rowers were ok, but both boats suffered severe damage. Another St. Mary’s boat was stuck in the middle of the river, filling up completely with water and almost capsizing. Race officials were able to escort the boat safely back to the docks without harming any rowers.
After this incident, all other races for the afternoon were scratched. Varsity Rowing Head Coach Anna Lindgren-Streicher commented on the races, saying “In the only completed race of the day for the women’s team, our varsity 8 showed some of their potential and also learned where they can improve. I’m proud of the way our whole team handled the adverse conditions.” We hope for better weather for the Rowing Team during their upcoming races!
Student Athlete Spotlight: Nefret Perunko
By: Nicole Osborne
Staff Writer
Nefret Perunko is a graduating senior soccer player majoring in English with a minor in Educational Studies. Perunko says, “It was definitely a little difficult at first to manage sports with being an English major and having so many readings. But like all freshmen, you get better with your time management, and I’ve ended up having an okay time juggling athletics and academics.” She also highlighted that the professors and coaches are very understanding and supportive when she has had to miss one thing for the other.
Perunko started playing soccer when she was six years old, which developed from playing recreational soccer to playing travel soccer. When it came time to look for colleges, Perunko did not know what she wanted to do academically but she knew that playing collegiate soccer was a priority. Perunko said, “When I first visited campus I knew it was home, and all other colleges faded out of view. The team has always been like a family to me, which was why I continued loving to play the sport.” She highlighted her teammates as her closest friends and family even through hardships, losses, and falters in the culture. They have always stuck together and made each other better versions of themselves. Perunko told TPN, “I wouldn’t change anything about my experience with athletics. Being a part of a team during my time in college has been like having a second family here.”
Perunko is the co-president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), an organization that strives to improve the undergraduate experience for student-athletes through a variety of initiatives. She discovered SAAC when she was a freshman on the soccer team, and has been a member ever since. Perunko felt that it was a great group to be a part of and a way to be active during her career at the college. The athlete said, “Stepping into the SAAC co-president role has taught me a lot about leadership. SAAC specifically helped me learn how to organize events, what athletics look like outside of games and practices, and how to get a group of people to participate and share their ideas of how to make our athletics better and more supportive of our community.”
When asked who has been the most impactful and influential to her as a student-athlete, Perunko said that her housemates Audrey, Maddie, and Gabby, as well as her classmate Audra have all been impactful in her student-athlete life. Perunko says, “They are the people who have had my back since day one and continue to support me no matter what. I don’t know what I’ll do without them next year.”
When reflecting on her years here at SMCM on the soccer team, Perunko said that the most rewarding experience being on a sports team was “scoring a goal against CNU my freshman year. Not only were we suffering a rough spot with team culture, but CNU was also one of the best teams in the conference. Even though we lost, we held them off for most of the game and I somehow managed to get our only goal of the game.” She also emphasized that meeting other students in the soccer community has been another rewarding experience as they are wonderful human beings who make it a fun and important time.
As Nefret Perunko gets ready to graduate, she has some advice for future student-athletes and students in general: “Make sure to enjoy the time you have with your teammates but also make sure to meet all of the other amazing people on campus. Also take time to walk around campus and see all of the places that make this school so beautiful (Historic, daffodil gulch, the docks, the seven wonders of campus, etc.).”
Upcoming Home Events
April 12 – April 29
By Annilee Hampton
April 12:
1:00pm: Men’s Tennis vs. Clarks Summer
1:00pm: Women’s Tennis vs. Clarks Summit
4:00pm: Women’s Lacrosse vs. Christopher Newport
April 15:
8:30am: Men’s Rowing vs. Maryland Club
8:30am: Women’s Rowing vs. William Smith
12:00pm: Women’s Lacrosse vs. La Roche
1:00pm: Men’s Tennis vs. Penn College
1:00pm: Women’s Tennis vs. Penn College
3:00pm: Men’s Lacrosse vs. SUNY Morrisville
April 19:
5:00pm: Women’s Lacrosse vs Salisbury
April 22 – 23:
Sailing, MAISA Women’s Spring Dinghy Championships
12:00pm: Women’s Lacrosse vs. Mount Aloysius
April 26:
3:00pm: Baseball vs. Salisbury
7:00pm: Men’s Lacrosse vs. Mary Washington
April 28:
3:00pm: Baseball vs. Gallaudet
April 29:
12:00pm: Baseball vs. Gallaudet
3:00pm: Baseball vs. Gallaudet
3:00pm: Men’s Lacrosse vs. La Roche
Scoreboard: March 1st – April 5th
Baseball
March 5: Washington College, Loss 2-10
March 5: Washington College, Win 8-5
March 8: Hood, Loss 3-6
March 11: Wilson, Loss 5-14
March 12: Bronx Community College, Loss 9-13
March 17: Wells, Win 12-3
March 18: Wells, Win 21-8
March 18: Wells, Loss 4-7
March 26: Lancaster Bible, Win 10-2
March 26: Lancaster Bible, Win 12-4
March 27: Lancaster Bible, Loss 11-12
April 3: Penn College, Loss 7-8
April 3: Penn College, Loss 7–13
Men’s Lacrosse
March 1: Marymount, Win 20-8
March 4: Shenandoah, Win 11-8
March 8: Penn College, Win 29-7
March 11: Elizabethtown, Loss 12-13
March 14: Denison, Loss 10-14
March 18: SUNY Brockport, Win 12-6
March 25: Bridgewater, Win 24-5
April 1: Dickinson, Loss 7-15
Women’s Lacrosse
March 4: Randolph-Macon, Win 17-14
March 8: Catholic, Loss 8-12
March 11: Dickinson, Loss 15-16
March 13: Denison, Loss 9-16
March 15: Colorado College, Win 17-14
March 29: Mary Washington, Loss 12-17
April 1: Lancaster Bible, Win 25-3
Sailing
March 25: Szambecki Team Race, 1st out of 10
Men’s Tennis
March 5: Goucher, Win 5-4
March 14: Lynchburg, Loss 1-8
March 15: Washington College, Loss 0-9
March 29: Salisbury, Loss 2-7
April 2: Lancaster Bible, Win 9-0
Women’s Tennis
March 5: Goucher, Loss 3-6
March 14: Lynchburg, Loss 0-9
March 15: Washington College, Loss 0-9
March 29: Salisbury, Loss 0-9
April 2: Lancaster Bible, Win 8-0
The Point News 