Race Results on Row2k.com

WORCESTER, Mass.—The William Smith rowing team got a victory from its second varsity eight and second-place finishes from its varsity eight and novice eight on Lake Quinsigamond today.

The second varsity eight was second off the line and trailed for most of the first half of the 2,000-meter race. Christine Babcock, Tallarie Thurgood, Laura Cappio, Alayna Beebe, Rebecca Charlton, Sarah Hollingshead, Jenna Lohre, Emily Desmery, and Jess Steketee used a strong third 500 meters to walk through Skidmore and take the victory by open water. The Herons posted a winning time of 7 minutes, 15.10 seconds. The Thoroughbreds were more than five seconds behind, while Tufts was a distant third.

In the varsity eight race, William Smith faced an open water deficit to Skidmore early in the race, but closed the gap to less than a second by the finish. The Thoroughbreds crossed the line in 7:08.6, 0.83 seconds ahead of the Herons. Tufts, WPI, and RIT finished third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.

The novice eight was unable to recover from a shaky start, placing second behind Tufts. The Jumbos covered the course in 7:16.6. William Smith posted a time of 7:21.12. Tufts' second novice eight and RIT rounded out the field.

"'Every boat in the program improved their game today," Head Coach Sandra Chu said. "Each week we're getting a little more of the whole picture together and seeing more and more speed. The Liberty League Championships next weekend will give us a chance to put the last of the pieces together. I think we had strong racing but we are not nearly done with finding our top speed for the season."

The Herons will seek their first Liberty League Championships since 2007 on April 24, when they travel to Saratoga Springs, N.Y.