The William Smith College rowing team will compete in the National Invitational Rowing Championships in Worcester, Mass., on Friday, May 11. The Herons moved up two spots to No. 10 in this week's CRCA/USRowing Division III poll.
 
"Our speed has drastically improved since our last trip to Worcester," said Head Coach Sandra Chu. "We have also had a great week of practices. We know that in order to have a shot at an at-large bid to NCAAs, we need to get both of our boats into grands and then beat a lot of great competitors."
 
The varsity eight and second varsity eight races will begin with heats where the top two teams progress to the grand finals, the next two go to petite finals, the next two to third level finals, and for the varsity eights, the final two go to fourth level finals. The varsity fours is a finals only race, which starts at 1 p.m.
 
The Heron 2V is seeded 11th and will race in its heat at 9 a.m.  The 2V third level final is at 2:36 p.m., with the petite final following at 2:48 p.m. and the grand final at 3 p.m. The William Smith varsity eight is seeded ninth and its heat begins at 10:36 a.m. The varsity eight fourth level final is first at 3:44 p.m., the third level is at 3:56 p.m., the petite final is scheduled for 4:20 p.m. and the grand final is set for 4:32 p.m.
 
Fans unable to make it to Worcester can follow the action online with Live Video.