BOSTON--The William Smith rowing team won the collegiate four event at the Head of the Charles Regatta today. It is the first time in program history that the Herons have won a gold medal at the Head of the Charles and the fifth time they have reached the podium.

William Smith's four, which was powered by Lizzy Whitney, Leah Wiebe, Eden Grim, Cheyenne Muldowney and Meghan Bartholomay turned in a dominant performance, traversing the 3-mile Charles River Course with a time of 18:13.848, stopping the clock 30 seconds faster than the second place boat.The University of Chicago came in second and Williams rounded out the podium. 

 This is the fifth time in program history the Herons have reached the podium at the HOCR. William Smith won a silver medal last year and a bronze medal in 2008 in the collegiate four. In the collegiate eight, the Herons won silver medals in 2012 and bronze medals in 2013.

RACE DETAILS

• The Herons avoided Saturday's gusty winds, racing under a sunny sky and near-calm conditions.
• Whitney, Wiebe, Grim, Muldowney and Bartholomay started with bow ball 2 after last year's silver medal winning performance.
• William Smith rapidly gained speed as it crossed the starting line. The Herons passed Carleton, who started 10 seconds ahead of them, within the first 2,700 meters of the race. William Smith was able to create open water from the Ravens by the time they hit the Weeks Bridge.
• Rounding the bend towards Eliot Bridge, the Herons were able to keep rowing away from the field, steering a tight line against the buoys. 
• Between Cambridge Boat Club and the finish buoys, William Smith executed a spring, closing out the race course with a 3:06.4 split time down the stretch run. 
• The Herons posted the fastest time at each split, posting a 4:07.993 at Riverside, a 5:50.530 in the second sector at Weld and a 5:08.915 in the third sector at CBC. 

 
THOUGHTS FROM THE BOAT
"We approached this race with gratitude for the opportunity to represent the best of William Smith rowing," senior coxswain Lizzy Whitney said. "It was so much fun to lead the course because I got to show off my love for steering and lean into the power of love and friendship."

"Today was such a fun race!" sophomore Eden Grim said. "We really focused on staying internal, racing for us, and on our process, which led to an amazing outcome."

UP NEXT
The Herons will close out the fall portion of its schedule on Saturday, Oct. 24, when it hosts the annual HWS Challenge on the Canal.