Liberty League Champion William Smith swept the league's postseason rowing awards announced today. The Herons varsity eight was named the Crew of the Year. Head Coach Paul Bugenhagen and Assistant Coach Callista Crisonino were named the Coaching Staff of the Year. In addition, William Smith had five rowers earn All-Liberty League praise.
 
This is the first time since 2014 that the Herons have won both the Liberty League Crew of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year Awards.
 
William Smith's 1V is powered by Lizzy Whitney, Linnea Darius, Kate Abdalla, Raya Schwartz, Alessandra Gialanella, Aubrey Ryan, Eden Grim, Leah Wiebe and Meghan Bartholomay. The Herons put together a strong spring season, winning the Liberty League Boat of the Week award four times. William Smith's top boat won gold medals, the Herons' first conference title in the 1V race since 2016. A week earlier at the state championships, the Herons won bronze medals, finishing behind two Division I crews. At the National Invitational Rowing Championships, Whitney, Darius, Abdalla, Schwartz, Gialanella, Ryan, Grim, Wiebe and Bartholomay placed sixth in a field that included 14 of the 15 crews ranked in that week's CRCA Poll.
 
In addition to being part of the Crew of the Year, Abdalla, Darius, Whiney, Gialanella and Schwartz all received All-Liberty League praise. Whitney, a coxswain, Darius and Abdalla were voted to the first team. Gialanella and Schwartz were named to the second team. Schwartz also earned All-Liberty League recognition in 2022-23 and Darius was named all-conference in 2023-24.
 
Bugenhagen and Crisonino guided William Smith to its first Liberty League Championship in a decade. It was the Herons' 10th league title overall. William Smith won gold medals in three of the four events it competed in (1V, 2V, 3V). The Herons were second in the varsity four race. At the state championships, William Smith won silver medals in the 2V8 and the 3V8 races. Bugenhagen and Crisonino also guided the Herons to a seventh-place finish in the points trophy at the NIRCs. They also guided William Smith to its first NCAA appearance since 2016.
 
William Smith, which is ranked sixth in the Pocock/CRCA Poll, will be back in action, May 29- 31, when it heads to Gainesville, Georgia, for the NCAA Rowing Championships. In the varsity eight race, the Herons will compete in Heat 2 against Williams, Tufts and Puget Sound.  In the 2V8, William Smith will compete against the Jumbos, Bates and Catholic.