Results

In Worcester, Mass., the William Smith College rowing team faced challenging conditions on Lake Quinisgamond but produced a day of solid results against a talented field.

The Heron varsity eight, ranked fourth in the nation in this week's CRCA/USRowing Division III poll, rowed a textbook race, minimizing the effects of the changing conditions with strong technicals and incredible aggressiveness. Senior coxswain Kim Goral characterized the race as one in which the boat just kept giving more. Coming back from a one-length deficit in the final 1,000 meters, William Smith almost caught Division I hosts Holy Cross. Goral, Jess Steketee, Lauren Blake-Whitney, Sinead Reilly,Katie Paige, Sarah Gordon, Laura Cappio, Libby Hughes, and Alyssa Trebilcock covered the 2,000-meter course in 6:50.53, just 0.93 seconds behind the Crusaders.

'We are very fortunate to be part of the schedule today," Head Coach Sandra Chu said. "The competition we saw today was top-notch and pushed us to reach for our very best.  The boat's composure, especially in the last 500 enabled them to put on a great surge. Holy Cross had an impressive counter-surge in the last 10 strokes but it was really a fantastic race for both crews."

No. 8 Ithaca came in third (7:00.4) with Colby (7:28.24) and Connecticut College (7:32.08) rounding out the field.

The Heron novice eight—Susan Tuvell, Grace Hutton, Brianna Taylor, Karly Wagner, Megan Miskovsky, Catharine Pirie, Alex Belden, Nikki Andrjzecyk, Sammi Hurwitz—showed strong command of the novice portion of their field, besting Ithaca and Holy Cross's novice eights and trailing only the Bombers' third varsity eight. Ithaca's 3V won in 7:33.8 with William Smith 5.05 seconds back. The Herons were just over a second faster than the Bombers' novices and more than six seconds in front of the Crusaders.

"The novice program made some great strides today," Chu said. "We've been working on their rhythm in particular and it was very rewarding to see them come down the course so much more efficiently. When they needed it, they had another gear to grab and that enabled them to keep their nose out front."

The William Smith second varsity eight had a strong first 1,000, trading leads with Ithaca and Holy Cross. However, the Herons weren't able to hang on in the last portion of the race and slipped to third (7:20.55) behind the Bombers (7:09.8) and Crusaders (7:14.15). The Camels (7:48.02) crossed the finish line fourth and the White Mules (7:52.29) closed the race.

William Smith will race on Lake Quinsigamond again tomorrow.