NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State’s rowing team placed three boats in the grand finals at the annual America Collegiate Rowing Association National Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge Tennessee this past weekend. The weekend was capped off with NSU women’s team finishing as national runner-up for the Small Boat Championships and 15th overall. With 53 women’s programs and 71 men’s programs in attendance, it was NSU’s most successful championship to date.
Coached by Dr. Jason Stelly, the women’s varsity 4+ came home with a podium finish, winning the bronze medal. It marked NSU’s second top three finish at nationals, following the WV4+ that won silver in 2016. Members of this years’ WV4+ are Madison Szekely of Greenwell Springs, Victoria Dettinger of Rochester, Minnesota, Kennedie Stewart of Starks, Kirsten Knobloch of Kenner and Emmett Nobles of Natchitoches (cox).
Contributing to the national runner-up performance was the women’s 2x consisting of Coral Jeane of Leesville and Katriane Creel of Shreveport that finished sixth overall. Not to be outdone, the freshman and novice women 4+ of Qetuwrah Clay of Tallulah, Hannah Gurtner of Haughton, Alondra Torres of New Llano, Carmen Morales of Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Joshua Hensel of Bossier City won the petite finals and finished eighth overall.
The men’s side was highlighted by a seventh-place finish by the men’s 4x. Members included Jonathan Limones of Bossier City, Christopher Acker of Diboll, Texas, Brody Garlington of Natchitoches and Nobles.
The only other men’s boat to compete for NSU was its men’s varsity 4+ which included Stephen Juneau of Boyce, Caleb Poor of Natchitoches, Hensel, Thomas Schneider and Adriana Patten of Bossier City (cox) and finished 27th overall.
Dettinger, Juneau, and Szekely were named to the All-South Region team. This is the first time NSU has had three rowers make All-Region in one year. Juneau is the first NSU rower to make the All-South men’s team. Dettinger and Szekely join the other five previous women winners for NSU, with Dettinger being the first two-time All-South rower. Each are finalists for All-American honors, which will be announced later this summer.
Six rowers were also honored for the in-class success and named Academic All-Americans. Acker is the fifth NSU rower to earn first team honors. Dettinger, Knobloch, Szekely, Stewart and Nobles were selected for second team honors and join the previous three winners. Dettinger and Szekely are two-time honorees.
