WORCESTER, Mass.—The ninth-ranked William Smith rowing team was back in action on Lake Quinsigamond today, competing against four of the top 10 teams in the country. Included in that group were two of the top four teams.  
 
The Herons rowed against No. 1 Trinity, No. 4 Wellesley, No. 8 Bates College, No. 10 Hamilton College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Clark on the 2,000-meter Lake Quinsigamond. The teams rowed through a calm tailwind throughout the day, experiencing ideal racing conditions.
 
SECOND VARSITY EIGHT

• The Heron's 2V8 was raced by Michaela Greco, Olivia Helms, Lily Liflander, Alessandra Gialanella, Paige Barnhart, Ainsley Kimball, Mariee Voss, Lily Keefe, and Olivia Sainsbury.
• William Smith competed against Trinity, Hamilton and Clark.
• The 2V began their morning opening with an aggressive start, pulling away from the field alongside Trinity and Hamilton. At around 400 meters, the Herons began to push harder into their foot plates and began to move away from the Continentals. At 600 meters, the second varsity was bow to stern with the Trinity boat. In the last 250 meters, William Smith moved up on the stern of the Trinity second varsity and held that position until the finish.
• The Herons crossed the finish with a time of 7:18.9, securing a spot in the grand final.
• In the afternoon, the 2V was matched up with the Bantams, the Bobcats, Hamilton, Wellesley and WPI.
• The Herons started quickly, racing side by side with the Bates and Wellesley crews.
• By the 500-meter mark, the Herons took a slight lead over Bates and made a move at the 600-meter mark to take back two seats on Hamilton. By the 1000-meter mark, the Herons had reduced Hamilton's lead to one seat.
• At the 1,300-meter mark, the Herons began their sprint and quickly took two seats up on Hamilton. The 2V crossed the finish line with a time of 7:30.6, taking second place.

 
VARSITY EIGHT

• William Smith Varsity Eight was driven by Lizzy Whitney, Linnea Darius, Kate Abdalla, Raya Schwartz, Eden Grim, Leah Wiebe, Alayna Wian, Aubrey Ryan, and Meghan Bartholomay.
• The Heron's first varsity opened the day with a vigorous first race against Trinity, Clark, and Hamilton. Leaping off the start along with the Bantams, the Herons settled into a high rate. Rowing through to the 250-meter mark, Trinity and William Smith stayed side by side until the 400-meter mark.
• The boats continued to fight for the first-place spot. Crossing the 1400-meter mark, the 1V had a three-seat advantage on the Trinity boat, but the Bantams moved through, calling for a sprint with 200 meters to go to win the heat.
• The Herons finished second, earning a spot in the grand final.
• In the afternoon, the 1V took on Trinity, Bates, Wellesley, Hamilton and WPI.
• William Smith's eight jumped off the starting gate with Trinity. At the 500-meter mark, the Herons were two seats behind the Bantams and up on the rest of the field.
• The Herons held steady, even at the 800-meter mark, as Wellesley began to move up on the William Smith women. With 500 meters to go, Wellesley and Bates made their moves into second and third.
• After a hard-fought race, the Herons finished in fourth with a time of 7:13.67.
• Assistant Coach Callista Crisonino reflected on this afternoon's race, stating, "The 1V showed true grit throughout the day, battling stroke for stroke with the top teams of DIII rowing and earning a strong, competitive result. The race tested us, taught us, and reminded us why we value our processes. We're excited to keep building with everything we've learned in Worcester."

 
CAPTAIN'S TAKE

• Linnea Darius reflected on the day of racing, stating, "It was such a wonderful opportunity to race some of the best crews in the country. We learned a lot about side-by-side racing and will carry this energy into the next week of training."

 
THIRD VARSITY EIGHT

• William Smith's 3V8 was powered by Skylar Strong, Kate Oberg, Annika Stacia, Ella Rhodes, Megan Jones, Isabella Ramirez, Anna Pedone, Dani Krenzer, and Vicentica Fuller.
• Competing in a finals-only race, The Herons came off the start with Trinity, Wellesley, and Bates, and continued to be neck and neck with the three boats until the 750-meter mark, when Trinity, Wellesley, and Bates pulled forward together, continuing to fight for the first-place position.
• William Smith's third varsity finished with a time of 7:38.5, 8.7 seconds behind the winning Bates crew.

 
COACH'S CORNER
"The team learned a lot today, and we're excited to know that each crew can race with the best teams in the country," Head Coach Paul Bugenhagen said. "The 2V grand final was a highlight on the day. They came out of the heat knowing they needed a better start and executed their adjustments really well. Then they leaned on their confidence and toughness through the middle 1000, which set them up for a strong finish right on the heels of a very impressive Trinity 2V. We're focused on improvement and hungry for more racing next weekend at the New York State Collegiate Championship!"

UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action on April 18, when it heads to Saratoga Springs, New York, for the New York Collegiate Rowing Championships