Girls Varsity Rowing
Team Overview
Gunn Rowing Program
The Frederick Gunn School rowing program has been steeped in history and tradition since its founding in 1947 by legendary coach and Athletic Director Rod Beebe. The team rows coxed fours out of Beebe Boathouse on Lake Waramaug, about 10 minutes from campus.
In the fall, the team competes against high schools, clubs, and colleges at four major Northeast regattas: the Head of the Charles, Head of the Housatonic, Head of the Riverfront, and Head of the Fish. In the spring, the season shifts to dual meets and cup races against NEIRA schools such as Choate, Taft, South Kent, Deerfield, St. Mark's, Nobles, and Berkshire, building toward the Founders Day Regatta — hosted on our home course each May — and the NEIRA Championships at season's end.
Students can pursue rowing at Gunn in two ways: joining the high-performance varsity team, which fields two varsity coxed fours, or training through the Learn-to-Row (LTR) Campus Program and competing at the JV level in the spring (see below). On the varsity side, the fall roster includes six rowers per gender — four starters and two reserves — plus two coxswains. Athletes travel daily to Beebe Boathouse for on-water training, row six times a week, and participate in strength and conditioning sessions led by Assistant Director of Sports Performance Josh Bannon.
The program's enduring success is supported by a strong novice and JV pipeline that develops those athletes into the competitive rowers who carry the team forward.
Learn-to-Row (LTR) Program
The LTR Campus Program is the entry point for students with no rowing background who want to learn the sport. Athletes train on campus in the Erg Room and other athletic facilities, and head to Beebe Boathouse on Wednesdays for on-water sessions.
The curriculum builds three core skill sets:
Technical — erg work, conditioning, and strength
Physical — targeted rowing fitness, core strength, and running
Educational — film review, race strategy, and equipment navigation
Championships & Honors
In multiple recent seasons, Gunn Rowing finished in the top six or better at the NEIRA Championships.
2014 — National Scholastic Rowing Championship, First Place
Meet the Coaches
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Head Coach
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Assistant CoachPatrick Durning, Ph.D., is a member of the History Department faculty and Assistant Coach for Boys Varsity Crew and Boys JV Ice Hockey. An educator with more than 30 years of experience, he most recently taught history, economics, and ethics, and coached soccer, basketball, and lacrosse at The Ethel Walker School. After earning his doctorate in philosophy from Brown University, he taught at St. George’s School in Rhode Island and The Kinkaid School in Texas. He also holds dual bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and physics from Duke University, and a master’s in philosophy from Brown. In his spare time, Patrick likes to run, bike, read, learn guitar and play trombone. He and his wife, Betsy, have two children, Henry and Margaret. Fun fact: Patrick was in ROTC for a year and spent a summer on a submarine.
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Rowing Operations ManagerIn addition to assisting the Crew Team and coordinating The Frederick Gunn School’s Regattas, Sal is the Head Coach for the Boys and Girls Varsity Ski Teams and teaches U.S. History and in 2021, taught a popular Winterim course, "Revolutionaries, Spies and a Traitor." Outside of Gunn, he operates the Bicycle Tour Company, based in Kent. As an Independent Revolutionary War Historian, he authored two Experiential Learning Travel Guides. In August 2021, Sal’s led a 700-mile Bike and Kayak Tour, following the 1781 Route of the French and American Armies from Newport, Rhode Island to Yorktown, Virginia, supported in part by a grant from the National Park Service. While at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, he studied Economic Development in Sri Lanka and enjoyed rowing competitively.
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Assistant CoachEllissa Popoff is the Assistant Dean of Faculty, Head House Parent in Emerson, and a member of the History Department faculty as well as Assistant Coach for Girls Varsity Crew. Born in Vancouver, Canada, Elissa grew up in Pennsylvania, Old Lyme, Connecticut, and Taiwan. A graduate of Tabor Academy, she holds a bachelor's degree in history and psychology from Williams College and a master’s in psychology from Connecticut College. Prior to joining The Frederick Gunn School, Ellissa taught in the Social Sciences Department at Tilton School in New Hampshire. In her last year there, she served as Assistant Coach for Girls Varsity Ice Hockey, and as a dorm parent, and ran the grade 12/post-graduate level program. Fun fact: Ellissa lived in Northern Sweden (in the town of Ornskoldsvik) for a year between high school and college. In her free time, she likes to hike, knit, crochet, and travel. She lives on campus with her boyfriend, Nick Sceggell, her dog, Marla, and cats, Alvie and Simon.
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Assistant CoachChristopher Visentin grew up in Rhinebeck, New York, and graduated from Kent School. He rowed at Kent and Hamilton College, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English. In addition to a master’s in English from Boston University, he earned a law degree from BU School of Law with a concentration in intellectual property law. Prior to joining Gunn, he was a freelance writer in Philadelphia. At Gunn, he teaches English, is Head Coach for Boys Rowing, and Interim Director of Rowing. He is also the faculty advisor for The Stray Shot literary magazine and enjoys photography, painting, reading and writing (mostly) poetry. He and his wife, Holly, and their daughter, Imogen, live off campus with their rescue dog, Beatrice.
Roster
Girls Varsity Fall Crew Roster
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Isla Beckstrom2026Roxbury, CT
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Samuell Blackwood2027Woodbury, CT
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Julie Dowden2027Litchfield, CT
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Hilary Geary2029New York, NY
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Neely Gritti2029Washington, CT
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Madeline Milgram2029Greenwich, CT
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Bridget O’Hara2027Bronxville, NY
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Ariana Raich2028New York, NY
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Ariane Ravanas2027Chicago, IL
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Amelia Reighard2029Warren, CT
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Yiyi Sun2029Shanghai
Girls Varsity Spring Crew Roster
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Samuell Blackwood2027Woodbury, CT
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Ye Jun Cho2029Seoul
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Ayme Cruz2028New Brunswick, NJ
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Julie Dowden2027Litchfield, CT
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Hilary Geary2029New York, NY
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Piper Gemelli2029Stamford, CT
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Ahram Kim2026Seoul
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Heehu Kim2027Gyeongsangbuk-do
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Heri Kim2026Seoul
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Madeline Milgram2029Greenwich, CT
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Portia Ntem-Mensah2028Manchester, CT
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Bridget O’Hara2027Bronxville, NY
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Katherine Oei2028Shanghai
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Ariana Raich2028New York, NY
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Amelia Reighard2029Warren, CT
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Yiyi Sun2029Shanghai
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Alyssa Tenpow-Burris2028Brooklyn, NY
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Aniyah Tenpow-Burris2028Brooklyn, NY
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Phoebe White2027Essex Junction, VT
Schedule
Results
Highlanders Beyond Gunn
Gunn rowers have gone on to compete on the U.S. Junior and Senior National Teams, and many have built college rowing careers at the Division I and Division III levels.
Over the past decade, graduates have rowed at the University of Washington, Northeastern University, Brown University, Franklin & Marshall, Syracuse University, and Hobart and William Smith, among other schools.