With the smallest of 16 crews in attendance at Saturday’s 24th annual Mathews High School Invitational Regatta, the 11 men and seven women of the home team captured four gold medals, seven silver and three bronze, with the MHS men winning the William F. Owens Memorial Men’s Efficiency Trophy.

The men earned the trophy with a 67.1 percent efficiency rate. Hickory’s women (interestingly, the next smallest team in attendance) captured the Catharine K. Owens Efficiency Trophy with a 66.2 percent rate.

Although Great Bridge did not capture either efficiency trophy, they amassed top overall team efficiency points at 56.9 percent, followed by Mathews (55.2 percent) and South County (52.2 percent).
First out on the course, the MHS men’s varsity four—Zach Payne, Cole Johnson, Phillip Machen, Andrew Merz and coxswain Trevor Thomas—set a course record of 4:30.2 to win the Devils’ first gold. This foursome went on to win the men’s quad, take ...