ROCHESTER, N.Y.-The William Smith College rowing team's varsity eight turned in the Herons top performance at the Head of the Genesee regatta this afternoon. The Heron's top crew earned a bronze medal.
 
Following torrential rains, the threat of lightning strikes, and racing delays, the sun emerged allowing for improved racing conditions this afternoon. The Herons entered their first and second varsity eight's in the regatta.
 
William Smith's varsity eight, powered by Susan Hurwitz, Molly Dexter, Emma Falkenstein, Lucy Brancazio, Camila Goclowski, Taryn Wenberg, Annie Wertheimer, Sarah Laferrera and Emma Lubrano, finished third of nine teams. They had a true race against the clock, maintaining their starting order as they came down the course. The Herons stopped the clock with a time of 16:24.80. Hamilton and Rochester Institute of Technology also earned spots on the podium.
 
"We improved upon last weekend's race in terms of the effectiveness of the warm-up and the focus during racing," Head Coach Sandra Chu said. "There was a clear uptick in intensity and we had a stronger more technically sound sprint. The boat put into play everything we worked on this past week."
 
The second varsity eight of Hannah Baron, Alexandra Deku, Mackenzie Barrall, Sarah Lewicki, Freya Birkas-Dent, Katie Frohman, Hope Lee, Sara King, and Tori Wissa competed in the 2V/3V 8+ event. The boat underwent late lineup changes due to injuries and finished fifth of six with a time of 17:39.81, five-tenths of a second out of fourth place.
 
"We had some really tough breaks this week with regards to lineups in the 2V," Chu said. "I think the boat did a stellar job reacting to those changes which included incorporating three true novices who have only been rowing for four weeks. It is a testament to their adaptability and strong fundamentals that they had a strong race."
 
William Smith will be back on the racecourse in two weeks when it travels to Boston, Mass. for the Head of the Charles.