At the 11th-annual Columbus Fall Classic last Saturday on Hoover Reservoir, the host squad showed that its future and present appears bright.

In the first of two fall regattas held in central Ohio, Westerville scored 410 points to win a 32-team event, which featured high school varsity and club teams as well as college programs.

Dublin finished ninth (73.75), Upper Arlington was 15th (49.5) and Hilliard tied Butler University for 22nd (8).

All four area programs are expected to send boats to the Speakmon Regatta, which will be held Oct. 24 on Griggs Reservoir and is hosted by the Greater Columbus Rowing Association.

"We have a fairly new group this year, so we're very happy," said Trish Chase, who co-coaches the Westerville team along with her husband Matt Chase. "It's been a work in progress for us. We've just kept putting in the meters, and we almost swept the regatta."

Westerville won five events, including the women's Junior 8, the women's Junior Lightweight 8 and the Men's Junior 8.

Competing on the girls junior 8 boat were seniors Amy Buck, Ellen Hughes, Kate Moran and coxswain Anna Mercurio, juniors Alyssa Jennings, Anna Lind and Sarah Scott, sophomore Elaina Hill and freshman Delaney West. The same boat got second at the Head of the Ohio on Oct. 3.

Westerville's boys junior 8 boat was comprised of seniors Austin Hoyles, Bobby Jones, Luke Miller and coxswain Allie Davis and juniors Michael Kovalchik, Tyler Lucas, Matthew Murdock, Ryan Radecki and Jeremy Sobiech.

Dublin, which won the Mixed Junior Novice 8, took second in the Women's Junior Lightweight 4. It was the third time this fall that the lightweight 4 boat, which is comprised of Mariah Hake, Becky Mehl, Jordan Vellkey, Stephanie Voltmann and coxswain Abbie Marsh, has earned a runner-up finish at a regatta.

Although it did not score last Saturday, the lightweight 4 of seniors Josh Miller and Jason Woodall, sophomores David Bellman and Mac Workman and senior coxswain Michael Sharp, is Dublin's top boys boat.

"We're definitely feeling like we're ahead of where we were at the beginning of the fall," said Gina Geosano, who coaches Dublin's girls program while her husband, Jared Crooks, coaches the boys team. "We've had a huge novice group this fall."

UA boys coach Chris Swartz has spent much of the fall figuring out what boats fit well together in preparation for the spring season.

Some of the top rowers for the Bears include seniors Danny Adams, Nick Cameron, Zach Lowe, Nathan Miller and coxswain Will Trabue.

It was just the second regatta in more than 17 years that Swartz -- who was at a family wedding -- was unable to attend.

"We're still trying to figure out what we have," Swartz said. "We've got seven or eight seniors, but we've also got a bunch of really young kids. I've been playing around a lot with our lineup on the varsity side, and (the Fall Classic) was our first big test on the novice side."

The Hilliard girls team has a new coach after Jackie Ruetenik took over in August for Liz Lucas, who started the program in the fall of 2004. Ruetenik is assisted by her fiancée, Doug Treiber.

Her team has about 20 rowers, including seniors Emily Brooks and Molly McCart, and has been concentrating on putting together strong varsity 4 boats.

"We have a small program and we're trying to build it," said Ruetenik, a 2008 Ohio State graduate who formerly served as a volunteer assistant with the Buckeyes. "I've never coached high school before, so I don't have a lot of things to compare it to, but since the beginning of the season, they've really come a long ways. They've got a new coaching staff and a lot of things to adjust to."

Upper Arlington's junior 8 team competed at the Columbus Fall Classic last Saturday. Members (from front) are: Cari Turner, Katherine Tedesco, Sarah Lau, Emory Bergdoll, Lauren Hall, Audrey Williams, Angelina Caradonna and Elisabeth Martin.