GAINESVILLE, Ga.—The William Smith rowing team finished its season with a pair of top four finishes at the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Rowing Championships. The Herons' varsity eight crossed the line in third place and the second varsity eight was fourth in their respective races at Lake Lanier Olympic Park today. The combined results secured William Smith a third-place finish in the team point trophy, matching the best finish in program history.
 
Ranked sixth in the latest coaches' poll, the Herons outperformed their seeding, jumping up to No. 3 in the nation. The varsity and second varsity eights combined for 44 points, one behind Bates. The second through the fifth spot in the team standings were separated by three points. The third place finish, matched William Smith's best finish since they were third as a team in 2002.
 
Originally scheduled for two days, racing for the Division III national championship was condensed to today due to thunderstorms in Saturday's forecast. The teams battled in a mid cross-tailwind that tapered off as the day's racing went on.
 
VARSITY 8

• William Smith's 1V was powered by coxswain Lizzy Whitney, Linnea Darius, Alessandra Gialanella, Leah Wiebe, Kate Abdalla, Raya Schwartz, Meghan Bartholomay, Aubrey Ryan and Eden Grim.
• The Herons advanced to the medal race, finishing second in their morning heat with a time 6:36.43.
• William Smith jumped off the line and batled with Williams and Puget Sound for second place through the first 750 meters. The Herons made their move around the 1,000-meter mark, taking six seats on the Ephs.
• Williams called for a sprint with 500 meters left, but could not close the gap on the Herons for second place.
• In the Grand Final, Whitney, Darius, Gialanella, Wiebe, Abdalla, Schwartz, Bartholomay, Ryan and Grim finished third with a time of 6:32.360.  The Herons were  in second at the first three split points before Bates called for a sprint and passed William Smith.
• It was the Herons' first medal at NCAAs since 2013, also a bronze and the fourth time overall William Smith finished on the podium at nationals.  
• Senior Kate Abdalla reflected on today's rowing:"It's so exciting and rewarding to see all of our hard work over the past four years pay off in such a dominant way. There's no other way I'd rather spend my day than celebrating my teammates, and it is a privilege to spend every day rowing with them. Best day ever!"
   

 

SECOND VARSITY 8

• The Herons' 2V was powered by coxswain Michaela Greco, Lily Liflander, Olivia Sainsbury, Grace Jung, Paige Barnhart, Alayna Wian, Nora Smith, Ainsley Kimball and Olivia Helms.
• Like the varsity eight, the second varsity eight was second in their heat, stopping the clock at 6:49.557.
• The Herons jumped off the line and quickly settled into a quick base within the first 500 meters. William Smith gained a half-seat advantage on Bates for second in the early stages. 
• The Herons maintained their base pace in the middle 1,000 meters and slowly pulled away from the Bobcats.
• In the Grand Final, the Herons crossed the line in fourth place, posting a time of 6:50.064.
• William Smith surged off the start taking a seat lead at the 250-mark.  Tufts, Trinity and Williams responded though and the Herons settled into a rythym in fourth.
• William Smith gained open water on the fifth and sixth place boats with their sprint in the final 600 meters.

COACH'S CORNER
"To come back to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2016 and leave with our first third-place team finish since 2002 is a major accomplishment for our program," Head Coach Paul Bugenhagen said. "I'm most proud of how they leveraged every lesson from the year to put together their best races in the biggest race of them all. During today's NCAA Championship racing, they were composed, they were tough, they were precise, and most importantly, they stayed connected to one another in the biggest moments of the season. The heats turned into confidence-building results that both crews used to create momentum into the grand finals. Both boats went down the course with real belief in each other this afternoon, and they put William Smith rowing right back in the middle of the national conversation. This team bought in to the work required to have a day like today. They created and held standards around the high performance we expect from each other, and they kept choosing each other. This senior class has moved the program forward in a meaningful way through their leadership and support for their teammates. Today was a reflection of everything these women have poured into William Smith rowing. Coach Crisonino and I are incredibly proud of this group!"