WORCESTER, Mass.—The 12th-ranked William Smith Rowing team was back in action on Lake Quinsigamond this weekend, competing against four of the top 10 teams in the country. Included in that group were two of the top five
 
The Herons competed against No. 9 Worcester Polytechnic Institute, No. 4 Trinity, No. 14 Hamilton, No. 5 Bates, and No. 8 Wellesley on the 2,000-meter Lake Quinsigamond course. Rowers were met with overcast conditions with an occasional drizzle and cross tailwind with some chop in the second 1,000 meters.
 
VARSITY EIGHT

• The Herons' 1V was driven by Ava Lee, Isabella De Nes, Leah Wiebe, Kate Abdalla, Grace Jung, Meghan Bartholomay, Linnea Darius, Alayna Wian, and Olivia Sainsbury.
• In their morning heat, the Herons took on WPI and Trinity. The three boats were even in the first 500 meters, but the two crews broke away in the middle portion, leaving William Smith in third.
• The Herons fought hard in the second half of the race and rowed through the Engineers, earning themselves second place with a time of 6:55.57.  With one of the five fastest times, they earned a spot in the grand final.
• In the grand final, the Herons took on Trinity, Bates, WPI and Wellesley.
• William Smith finished third overall with a time of 6:56.23. Starting in line with WPI and Wellesley, the Herons briefly dropped to fourth place. William Smith powered past the Engineers as they rowed past the 500-meter mark. The Herons beat WPI by three seconds and Wellesley by eleven seconds. Trinity won the race with a time of 6:43.4.

 
2V8

• William Smith's 2V8 was powered by Lizzy Whitney, Aubrianna Ryan, Syd Morrison, Olivia Helms, Lily Liflander, Nora Smith, Raya Schwartz, Emily Clark, and Lily Keefe.
• The Herons' 2V had a good fight in their morning heat, racing against WPI and Trinity. Sprinting the last 1000 meters, William Smith gained on the Engineers but landed in third place, only two seconds behind the hosts, stopping the clock at 7:09.90.
• Again, posting one of the five fastest times, the Herons earned themselves a spot in the grand final, racing against Trinity, Bates, WPI and Wellesley.
• William Smith finished third overall, in the grand final, posting a time of 7:09.11. The Herons beat WPI and Wellesley by four and 13 seconds, respectively. 
• The 2V Herons put up a strong fight throughout the race. The Bantams won the race with a time of 6:55.4.

 
3V8

• The Heron's 3V8 was comprised of Michaela Greco, Ainsley Kimball, Anna Pedone, Alessandra Gialanella, Janeciah Cunningham, Mariee Voss, Emma Burger, Dani Krenzer, and Madeline Wasner.
• The women in the 3V had a strong performance this morning, racing closely with WPI until the last 500 meters when the Herons tore away from the Engineers and gained on Trinity.
• The Bantams won the heat, by 10 seconds with the Herons stopping the clock with a time of 7:27.98.
• In the grand final, William Smith's 3V took on Bates, Trinity, Wellesley and WPI. The Herons finished fourth overall with a time of 7:29.3. Wellesley was third just over a second ahead of the Herons.
• The Herons had a strong start and raced evenly with Trinity, Wellesley, and WPI.
•  Bates won the heat with a time of 6:43.4.

 
COACH'S CORNER
"The team put on another gutsy effort today against top-tier competition in New England," Head Coach Paul Bugenhagen said. "We raced teams with championship-winning pedigrees and competed well in a field of Top 10 nationally ranked teams. This was a big step forward for our Herons and we're all very happy with the way our crews performed. Races like these give you a lot of information to work with and improve upon. We're excited to get home to Geneva and get back to work as prepare for an excellent field of crews next week at the New York State Championship. Thank you to our hosts WPI and Clark for hosting excellent racing today!"
 
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action next Saturday, April 19, when it heads to Whitney Point, New York, for the New York Collegiate Rowing Championships.