ITHACA, N.Y.—The eighth-ranked William Smith rowing team began its spring season with a strong showing at the Cayuga Duels, hosted by Ithaca College on Sunday. Out of the six races the Herons were entered in, they won all six, sweeping eighth-ranked Ithaca and 10th-ranked Hamilton.
 
Racing on the Cayuga Inlet was in a steady tailwind with overall fair conditions, as a cold morning turned into a sunny afternoon.
 
FIRST VARSITY

• The Herons' first varsity eight was powered by Lizzy Whitney, Linnea Darius, Kate Abdalla, Cheyenne Muldowney, Raya Schwartz, Leah Wiebe, Eden Grim, Aubrey Ryan, and Meghan Bartholomay.
• In their morning race, they went up against rival Ithaca. The Herons executed an excellent start, earning them a lead of several seats from the very beginning. At the 600m mark, the Herons powered forward, increasing their lead and finishing with a time of 6:50.4.
• With their 14-second victory over Ithaca, the Herons captured the Heron-Bomber trophy for the first time since 2014. It was William Smith's first dual race win over the Bombers for the trophy since 2013. The Herons won the trophy in 2014 with their first place finish at the New York Collegiate Rowing Championships.
• In the afternoon, the 1V faced off against Hamilton. The Herons built off their excellent morning plan and surprised Hamilton with a blazing start. The Herons stopped the clock at 6:52.2, enough for a 10-second win over the Continentals.

 
SECOND VARSITY EIGHT

• The Herons' second varsity eight was crewed by Michaela Greco, Olivia Helms, Lily Liflander, Nora Smith, Grace Jung, Paige Barnhart, Alessandra Gialanella, Olivia Sainsbury, and Lily Keefe.
• William Smith's 2V kept up the theme of fast starts, with an aggressive first 300m. The high-flying Herons cruised to a win with a time of 7:08.4, 31 seconds ahead of the Bombers.
• In the afternoon, the Herons faced off against a competitive Hamilton crew. Off the start, the Continentals were able to hang onto the Herons, but by the thousand-meter mark, a gap began to open in favor of William Smith. During the last 500 meters, the Herons sprinted hard to the line and were awarded with a four-second victory over Hamilton in the closest matchup of the day.

 
THIRD VARSITY EIGHT

• William Smith's 3V8 was composed of Skylar Strong, Kate Oberg, Annika Stacia, Ella Rhodes, Mariee Voss, Ainsley Kimball, Megan Jones, Izzy Ramirez, and Vicentica Fuller.
• In a three-boat race, the Herons' 3V eight lined up against a crew from Ithaca and a crew from Hamilton. With great skill, the Herons jumped off the line and quickly took the lead. With a strong middle thousand and final 500, the third varsity eight punched their time in at 7:15.9, marking a 10-second win over Ithaca and 17 second win over Hamilton.

 
VARSITY FOUR

• William Smith's V4 was rowed by MaryLi Nielson, Izzy Ramirez, Anna Pedone, Elina Jones, and Vicentica Fuller.
• The Herons powered off the start against the Ithaca Bombers, cementing a slight lead within the first 300 meters. The William Smith women settled into a steady, fast rhythm with a quicker stroke rate at the 1,000-meter mark. The women continued this lead until the finish, claiming victory with a time of 8:50.15, 19 seconds in front of the Bombers.

 
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action on Saturday, April 4, when it heads back to Ithaca to take on the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology.