Published By: Canisius High School - Keith McShea
Canisius High School rowers helped RowBuffalo finish off the summer with a serious (and literal) splash.
RowBuffalo, coached by R.J. Rubino '09, had a historic performance at last week's 140th Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catharines, Ontario, as CHS rowers powered the club to results not seen from a Buffalo rowing club since the 1950s and 60s.
Among the club's six gold medals were two U18 wins by boats dominated by current Crusaders and recent graduates.
RowBuffalo's U19 Men 4+ was made up of team captain and stroke Liam Feeney '25, Isaiah Aljuwani '25 (3), bow Max Burget '24 and coxswain Noah Rajecki '25 along with Will Heaton (2) of Chicago. The crew defeated the Canadian Junior National Team, rowing as Notre Dame Rowing Club, by 6.27 seconds as a full length of open water separated the crews. It was the first win by a Buffalo club in this event since 1965.
The last time a Buffalo boat won the U19 8+ was 1962, a feat that was matched by a crew that included Feeney (stroke), Aljuwani (7), Ethan Pirigyi '26 (4), Burget (2), James Dodman '24 (bow) and Rajecki racing in a CHS shell. Following the medal ceremony, the oarsman threw Rajecki into the water and then soon followed with splashes themselves.
RowBuffalo finished in 5:55.44, a boat length ahead of St. Joe's Prep's Hawk Rowing from Philadelphia and 8 seconds ahead of third-place Greenwich (Conn.) Crew. This victory followed their Youth 8+ win at the 2024 USRowing Summer National Championship in Oklahoma City, which came by 12 seconds over Penn A.C. Rowing.
For the first time since 1956, a City of Buffalo crew won the Senior Men 8+ event, with stroke Peter Spira '22, Nathaniel Sass '19 (2) and coxswain Teddy Hibbard '24 helping RowBuffalo to a win in 5:33.23, a full length of open water over the Mendota Rowing Club, consisting of University of Wisconsin varsity eight rowers.
Sass also teamed with Colin Hay to defend their Henley title for RowBuffalo in the Men's Pair. The duo who won the 2022 World Championship finished 1.03 seconds ahead of the Calgary Rowing Club boat that included Intercollegiate Rowing Association champions from the University of Washington.
Also, Thomas Skowron '25 (4) and coxswain Rajecki were part of the winning RowBuffalo crew in the Senior Lightweight Dash Men 8+.
Photos via RowBuffalo, which, like CHS, operates out of the Buffalo Scholastic Rowing Association's Patrick Paladino Memorial Boathouse.