GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith rowing team returned to its home waters this morning for the annual Challenge on the Canal. The Herons turned in a dominant performance, placing first in four of the five events contested.
 
William Smith welcomed Rochester Institute of Technology, Mercyhurst, and Hamilton to the Cayuga-Seneca Canal for a 4,400-meter head race. Competing in small boats and eights, rowers experienced clear skies and a very mild headwind.
 
PAIRS

• William Smith's dominance was most noticeable in the pairs race, where it finished in the top five places.
• Senior Alayna Wian and sophomore Paige Barnhart led the charge for William Smith, finishing first with a time of 20:11.
• Sophomore Danielle Eaton and senior Ollie Sainsbury won silver, crossing the finish at 20:15.
• Junior Mariee Voss and senior Ainsley Kimball took home bronze, posting a time of 20:37.
• Lily Keefe and Olivia Helms and Dani Krenzer and Isabella Ramirez were fourth and fifth, respectively

 
COLLEGIATE FOUR

• Returning from a historic win at Head of the Charles, the Herons four was rowed by Lizzy Whitney, Leah Wiebe, Eden Grim, Cheyenne Muldowney, and Meghan Bartholomay.
• The boat jumped off the start, leading the field of three other boats from Mercyhurst and RIT. Staying in front for the duration of the race, William Smith executed a row similar to the one at the Charles, keeping a tight line with enthusiastic coxing. Rowing long and unified, the four finished first with a time of 18:31.

 
FIRST-YEAR/NOVICE EIGHT

• Taking to the water in their first-ever race, including new, only six-week rowers, the women's first year/novice 8+ was driven by Leah Forrester, Stori Weenig, Peyton Johnson, Audrey Greene, Abby Miller, Anastasiia Vitvitska, Rubina Ahmad, Kayla Harris, and Sarah Bauer.
•  Racing hard, the novice Herons left their competition behind, not allowing the Continentals or the Tigers to overtake them. The Herons were able to move as a unified front until the end of the Challenge course and finished with a time of 19:53, allowing a two-minute intermission between the William Smith boat and the Continentals.

 
WOMEN'S 8+

• The Herons opened up the afternoon sessions with three eights competing in the varsity eight race.
• William Smith's V8 was composed of Lizzy Whitney, Leah Wiebe, Eden Grim, Cheyenne Muldowney, Alayna Wian, Paige Barnhart, Danielle Eaton, Ollie Sainsbury, and Meghan Bartholomay.
• The Herons went off the start first and remained in the lead throughout the race, maintaining a strong pace that allowed them to obtain a sub-17-minute finish. The crew demonstrated its consistency throughout and led by multiple lengths of open water on the RIT Varsity Eight boat. The Herons Varsity Eight finished with a time of 16:46, nearly a minute ahead of the Tigers.
• The William Smith 2V was conducted by Tuyche Smrstik, Ainsley Kimball, Mariee Voss, Dani Krenzer, Kenna Huot, Lily Keefe, Izzy Ramirez, Lena Smith, and Olivia Helms.
• They rowed across the finish line with a time of 17:35.

 
SINGLE

• Starting the day of racing, the William Smith single was sculled by freshman Lucia Maratovic.
• Competing against a field of one boat from Hamilton, Maratovic raced up to the start first and cemented her presence with a high rate. Despite being overtaken by Hamilton's sophomore sculler, Maratovic kept pressing forward.
• Maratovic in the Heron 1x crossed the finish with a time of 24:08.