SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.—The seventh-ranked William Smith rowing team was back in action on Saturday with a competitive day of racing on Fish Creek at the New York State Collegiate Championships. The Herons competed in the grand final in three of the four races they entered.
 
The Herons raced teams from across New York on the 2,000-meter Fish Creek course. The crews raced in a cross-headwind throughout the morning that continuously became more prominent throughout the afternoon races.
 
VARSITY EIGHT

• The William Smith first varsity was rowed by Lizzy Whitney, Linnea Darius, Kate Abdalla, Leah Wiebe, Eden Grim, Nora Smith, Aubrey Ryan, and Meghan Bartholomay.
• In their morning heat, the Herons took on Marist, Canisius, Army and St. Lawrence.
• The Herons started energetically, leaping off the start in second place. In the first 500 meters, they were staying in close contact with the Red Foxes and held that until the last 300 meters, when Marist made a move to pull away from the William Smith crew.
• The Herons finished with a time of 7:17.9. The Red Foxes and William Smith advanced to the grand final.
• In the afternoon portion of the races, the Herons' 1V rowed against Colgate, Marist, Smith, University of Albany, and Hamilton. As the cross-headwind had picked up in the afternoon session, the women had a hectic start, but settled into their pace as they held a tight margin on sixth-ranked Smith for the first 1000 meters.
• In the latter half of the final race, Smith began to create open water on the Herons, the 1V responded with a sprint in the last 1000 meters, which allowed the Herons to hold their margins.
• William Smith crossed the finish line with a time of 7:23.159, taking home a fourth-place position. The Herons were third among New York crews, tailing only a pair of DI crews.

 
SECOND VARSITY EIGHT

• The Heron's second varsity was composed of Michaela Greco, Olivia Helms, Lily Liflander, Alessandra Gialanella, Paige Barnhart, Ainsley Kimball, Mariee Voss, Alayna Wian, and Olivia Sainsbury.
• In this morning's race, the 2V took on Albany, Rochester and Army.
• The Herons began at a quick pace alongside the University of Albany, and were about two seats off the Great Danes. The William Smith women continued to battle them throughout the race, back and forth, taking one seat with the University of Albany boat. At the 1500-meter mark, the Herons pushed forward, cementing their stance directly alongside the other crew when the William Smith crew began their sprint to the finish, which allowed them to take first in their heat.
• The 2V rowed across the finish with a time of 7:24.5, earning them a spot in the grand final.
• In the afternoon, the Herons raced against Colgate, Marist, Hamilton, Albany, and Smith College. Starting their afternoon race off strong, the women pulled away from the field and raced directly against the Colgate crew until the 250-meter mark, when the Herons pulled away. Now, turning their focus to the Marist crew, the 2V  battled for seats until the 500-meter mark when the Red Foxes called for a move. The Herons continued their push for first, contesting the Marist crew with a bow-to-stern competition until the finish.
• The Herons finished their race with a time of 7:42.9
• Sixth seat, Sophomore Alessandra Gialanella commented about that afternoon's race, expressing, "It's great that we're able to confidently and comfortably race a D1 team! Our main focus was to stick as close to Marist as possible; they are a very powerful team. Overall, we were very pleased that we trusted each other to go after these higher-level teams, and we achieved a great outcome!"

 
 
THIRD VARSITY EIGHT

• William Smith's third varsity eight was driven by Skylar Strong, Kate Oberg, Isabella Ramirez, Ella Rhodes, Annika Stacia, Lily Keefe, Megan Jones, Dani Krenzer, and Vicentica Fuller.
• In a finals-only race, the Herons competed against two Smith boats, Hamilton and Marist.
• William Smith's third varsity began their race, competing with Hamilton and Smith in the first 200 meters. The Bears continued to make strides throughout the race, pulling away from the field as William Smith now focused its efforts on earning second place, chasing after the Hamilton crew, who had moved out beyond the Herons. At 1000 meters, the Herons called for a move, attempting to catch the Continentals. Within the 1700-meter mark, the William Smith women sprinted, leaving them bow-to-stern with the Hamilton crew when going over the finish.
• William Smith's third varsity crossed the finish line with a time of 8:01.9. The Herons were second among New York Crews.

 
 
VARSITY FOUR

• The Heron's varsity four was made up of Maryli Nielsen, Dani Krenzer, Anna Pedone, Elina Jones, and Isabella Ramirez.
• The William Smith four raced against Marist, Canisius, and Rochester in the second heat. The Herons began at a strong pace, racing along with the leading two crews, Marist and Canisius. In the first 500 meters, the Red Foxes pulled away, and the race became a fight for second place. In the next 1000 meters, the race became evenly spaced out between boats. The women continued to fight and came within twelve seconds of the Canisius boat.
• The William Smith four finished with a time of 8:57.4, taking home third place in the heat.
• In the afternoon race, the William Smith was slotted into the petite final.
• The four began their race with a powerful start, moving away from the Manhattan, Binghamton, and Rochester crews. They raced head-to-head with Albany and Ithaca in the first 500 meters. At the first 1000 meters, the Ithaca crew moved away from the William Smith crew, creating open water and allowing the Herons to focus on securing second place. In the final 1500 meters, the William Smith four moved away from Albany and maintained their distance.
• The William Smith finished their race with a time of 9:32.3, eighth overall.

 
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action on May 1, when it heads back to Saratoga Springs for the Liberty League Championships.