The winning effort, which the Friars will try to duplicate in today's 4:30 p.m. final, was produced by senior co-captains Mike Donohue and Chris Higgins, and sophomores Pat Donohoe (Mike's brother) and Austin Bury.

Mike Donohue and Higgins tried other sports before concentrating on crew. Donohue, who lives in Malvern, played basketball, lacrosse and water polo. Higgins, a Downingtown resident, participated in soccer and basketball as a freshman.

"I chose crew because it's a competitive sport, the facilities at Malvern are second to none, and coach [Craig] Hoffman is great," Donohue said.

"The sport helps you build endurance, muscles and stamina," Higgins said. "You need all of those things to excel."

Malvern, the defending senior quad champion, placed first yesterday in 4 minutes, 31.45 seconds. Roman (4:31.57), the Haverford School (4:34.50), North Allegheny (4:43.46), Chestnut Hill Academy (4:50.25), and Don Bosco Prep (4:52.94) also advanced to the championship race. In head-style competition, crews row against the clock and not each other. Beginning with the semifinal heats today, the racing will be head-to-head (six across).

"The time was fine, Hoffman said, "but the kids are going to have to row a lot harder to be competitive tomorrow."

The 6-foot-4, 178-pound Donohue, the scull's stroke, will continue his rowing career at Columbia. He is thinking of majoring in economics.

"Columbia's rowing program is very similar to the one at Malvern," Donohue said. "They have a hard-working bunch of guys."

Higgins, a 6-0, 165-pound bow, is bound for St. Joseph's. There, he plans to major in business, possibly accounting, and hopes to join the Hawks' varsity lightweight eight boat that includes a trio of 2008 Malvern grads: Matt Benedetto, Sean Stewart and Brandon Hanna.

Higgins joined the Malvern crew as a sophomore.

"I saw a flier the very first day of school about tryouts," he said. "Then, after seeing all the trophies on display at the school and talking to Coach Hoffman about the team, I was sold on it."

Stotesbury, billed as the world's oldest and largest high school regatta, features 5,260 athletes in 868 boats. Crews from 181 schools are competing in 31 events.

In the boys' senior eight qualifying round, defending champion St. Joseph's Prep placed first in 4:19.06. In the head-style format, the Hawks beat out runner-up E.L. Crossley, from Fonthill, Ontario, by only a tenth of a second.

Among the 18 boats that earned berths in today's semifinals were Holy Spirit (sixth), St. Augustine Prep (seventh), La Salle (10th), Ocean City (17th) and Lawrenceville (18th).

Mainland Regional, from Linwood, Atlantic County, took first in the girls' varsity eight with a clocking of 4:53.84. Fellow South Jersey schools Holy Spirit (4:56.40) and Bishop Eustace (4:57.15) finished second and third.

Mount St. Joseph Academy, runner-up to Eustace last year, came in fourth in 4:57.24. Ocean City (fifth), Absegami (seventh), Merion Mercy (eighth), Radnor (11th), Atlantic City (16th) and Vineland (17th) also secured spots in the semifinals.

In the girls' lightweight double, Conestoga was first in 5:41.49. Baldwin, represented by Victoria Ibrahim Gonzalez and Saabi Markar, was a close second in 5:41.71.

Gonzalez, bound for the U.S. Naval Academy, and Markar, headed to Carnegie Mellon, have been rowing together for two years. In today's 2 p.m. final, the senior duo will take another shot at Conestoga. Sacred Heart (fourth) and Strath Haven (sixth) also will contend for the Lawrence Kieffer Trophy.

"We're going for the gold, definitely," said Gonzalez, who lives in Chadds Ford.

or robrien@phillynews.com.