There were many highlights as usual at the National Championships with some of the best racing coming from NTC athletes racing each other. The lightweight rowing was as usual also very tight.

Open Women's Scull

Sophie Reinehr was a finalist in a top standard field with Louise Carr in the B final.

Open Women's Double Scull

Sophie Reinehr again wasa finalist in this event.

Open Women's Quad Scull

Sophie Reinehr and Anna Morrison raced well in this event to win Bronze finish behind the NTC athletes in the top two placings.

Open Women's Pair

Last years winners Kat Werry and Lucy Stephan had to settle for bronze medal this year with Jess Morrison teaming up with Georgia Patten to take gold with Paige Barr and Bronwyn Cox finishing with silver. The race for first and second was worth every second to see.

Open Women's Four

In the four, Jess Morrison and Paige Barr teamed up with Lucy Stephan and Bronwyn cox to take gold in this event. The first five crews were very even.

Open Women's Eight

An NTC crew based around Mercs athletes Kat Werry, Jess Morrison, Paige Barr and Hayley Verbunt won this event.

Open Men's Four

This was a highlight race with the two halves of the Australian eight taking on the the selected Australian four. The two halves of the eight finished first and second with the Australian four in third place in an incredcibly tight race. Nothing was left in any of the crews with Jack Robertson saying that this would be toughest race they will encounter both here and overseas. Gus Widdicombe finished with a silver and Jack Robertson and Fergus Hamilton with bronze.

Open Men's Eight

The Australian eight also put themselves on the line in this event with the rest of the NTC athletes trying to prove the selectors wrong. The Australian eight finished only 1.2 secs in front at the finish. Gus Widdicombe taking gold with Jack Robertson and Fergus Hamilton taking silver.

Open Lightweight Men

Jordan Roberts finished fourth in both the single and double but combined with Ben Whitmee and other members of the Victorian Penrith Cup crew to win the quad. Roberts, Whitmee, Alex Tomanovits and Oscar Tyrell were also members of the winning lightweight eight, a race won so many times by Mercantile. 

PR3

Newly categorised athlete Seth Swinney won silver in the PR3 single scull in a great race. He will do well in this category if he pursues this rowing career choice.

Under 23 Women

Anna Morrison led the way with a bronze in the four and a fourth place in the pair. She was joined by Grace Ivers, Mia Harrison, Imogen Nation, Abigail Cox,  Jess Hawker and Isobel Finch in the eight.

Under 23 Men

Dom Frederico led our men gaining a bronze in the single then doubling up with Austin Reinehr to take silver in the double. Jackson Morrish also tried his hand in both these events.

Jake Polkinghorne and Oscar Scalzo teamed up to be finalists in the pair and behind them Charles Clarke and Hamish Nicol. Jake and Oscar plus Austin Reinehr and Dom Frederico won bronze in the eight.

In the under 23 lightweights, Ben Whitmee and Alex Tomanovits tried their hand in the single with Ben being a finalist. However Seth Swinney and Alex Tomanovits won a bronze in the double. Alex then paired with Oscar Tyrell to take silver in the pair.

Under 21 Women

Jess Hawker was the best of the girls in the single making the final with Mia Harrison and Zoe Korr missing out Mia and Zoe doubled up with a Swan River pair to race the final of the quad.

Imogen Nation and and Grace Ivers made their pair final with Abigail Cox in the B final. An all Mercantile crew of Nation, Ivers, Cox, Jess Hawker and coxed by Isobel Finch finished fifth in the final with a composite Mercantile crew containing Zoe Korr and Mia Harrison behind them.

The under 21 men faired no better in the single, double, quad and pair. Archie Critchell partnered with Ben van den Berg and James Goldrick in a quad which made the final.

Under 17 and under 19

Cate McNeil was our only represented in these categories racing so many times that the commentators were amazed. Her best result came in a composite under 19 quad with Gippland Grammar. Cate also raced for her school in a double scull.

Club events

Our Club women's four of Freya Axten, Louisa Stocks, Addison Luce and Louise Carr raced well but were out of the medals. They were more successful in the eights with a silver medal - Mia Harrison, Imogen Nation, Grace Ivers, Freya Axten, Louisa Stocks, Alexandra Watson, Addison Luce, Louise Carr, Cox: Jessica Rawolle.

The men's club crews were much the same with our fours finishing fourth and fifth in the final but picking up a bronze and a seventh placing n the finals. The crews were: Hamish Nicol, Jake Polkinghorne, Oscar Scalzo and Harry Cathcart and Charlie Clarke, Lachlan Wilmot, Barry Connolly and Jack Ivers in the other four. The eights were: Charlie Clarke, Hamish Nicol, Barry Connolly, Lachlan Wilmot, Jake Polkinghorne, Harry Amad, Harry Cathcart, Oscar Scalzo, Cox: Isobel Finch, and James Goldrick, Oscar Tyrrell, Seth Swinney, Jackson Morrish, Josh Murphy, Sam Oostendorp, Ben van den Berg, Jack Ivers, Cox: Arabella Hall.

Summary

A good Championships but not a great one. Our members were in 6 gold medal crews, 7silver medal crews and 8 bronze medal crews. After allowing for fractions of crews, the official medal tally had Mercs with the fourth top number of medals of all clubs.

Well done to all our athletes and our coaches - Al Matthews, Annabelle Eaton, Zoe Fettig-Winn, David Colvin, Peter Somerville, Andrew McNeil and Tim Frederico.