SARASOTA, FLA. -- Williams had a remarkable weekend of racing in Sarasota, Florida at the Nathan Benderson Park racecourse for the NCAA DII Championship Regatta. Women's Crew made it to Nationals for the first time in 4 years, and the team was grateful for the chance to take more strokes and show off their speed. The team had boats in both the I and II eight events, and the races began on Saturday with heats. One thing was repeated by announcers and spectators alike throughout the weekend: "welcome back Williams."
The 2V was coxed by
Julia Lim and stroked by
Grace Goodall, followed by
Riley Galizio,
Lauren Fossel,
Liz Ostermeyer,
Prairie Resch,
Isabelle Zollinger,
Sarah Dean and
Lola Kovalski in bow seat. The boat executed an excellent race in their heats, gaining a second-place finish and moving to Grand Finals without going to afternoon Repechages. The boat was a few seconds behind Wellesley all the way down the course but pushed ahead of WPI in the last 500 to finish with a time of 6:57.
The 1V was coxed by
Georgia Ganser and stroked by
Anna Owens, followed by
Ella Napack,
Emma Wuerth,
Ellie Iorio,
Erin Barry,
Catherine Powell,
Lexi Cooper and
Emily Hugo in bow seat. The crew had a strong start and remained neck and neck with Bates and Wellesley through the first 1500 meters, but the other boats were able walk through Williams in the sprint. Williams finished in 3rd with a time of 6:44.7, a little over 3 seconds behind Wellesley, sending them to a repechage later in the day.
In the reps, Williams put up an impressive race, despite being down off the start. Williams was behind on Tufts for the first 1000 meters, but in the third 500 meters, Williams surged ahead and took seats on the Jumbos. Williams finished in first with a time of 6:48, 2 seconds ahead of Tufts. Williams and Tufts both went on to Grand Finals after this event.
Assistant Coach Eileen Russel commented on Saturday that "as expected, Nationals is bringing us some very exciting races. William put up some awesome fights against very competitive crews. I think our team executed their plan today, and we are ready to leave it all on the line today in Grand Finals."
Saturday morning brought storms and heat to the racecourse, and the races were delayed for 2 hours. Despite the threat of lightning, the weather was sunnier and hotter than the previous day, and all teams took measures to deal with the intense heat.
The 2V Grand Final started in the middle of the day, and the crew had a phenomenal race. Wellesley and Bates moved out ahead off the start, but the top four boats were all close to one another at the 500-meter mark. The Williams crew was down a seat off Ithaca for most of the race, and gained even with them in the last 750, but Ithaca was able to move ahead in the sprint. Ithaca finished a seat ahead of Williams for 3rd place, and Williams finished with a time of 7:10.5. The crew fought hard to finish strong and close to the other crews, and it was an exciting battle with Ithaca all the way down the course. The 2V's 4
th place finish displayed the impressive depth of the Williams program.
The seniors in the 2V had enormous pride for where they took the crew this season. Senior
Liz Ostermeyer shared that "every class of WWC women has now seen the program go to NCAAs and I am excited for the momentum that this weekend gave to keep this tradition going."
The 1V Grand Final race soon followed, and the crew put down a great effort to put Williams' name back in the top 1V rankings. The crew was down on the other 5 crews off the start, but by their settle they were back with the pack. Williams remained in close contact with Bates, Tufts and Wellesley through the first 1000 meters, as Ithaca and WPI walked ahead. By the halfway point, it was a race between Tufts, Williams and Bates for fourth. The between Tufts and Williams was tight throughout, but as Williams took their surge over the 1250 mark, the boat left Tufts behind. Williams chased Bates and Ithaca into the sprint and finished with a time of 7:06.1, 3 seconds behind Ithaca ahead of them. This was the highest finish that Williams had seen in the 1V event in many years.
Senior Emma Weurth commented that "I am so incredibly proud of the boats that raced today and the whole team that got us here. I am very excited to see what WWC continues to do in the future."
Eph's Head Coach
Carolyn Miles greatly enjoyed her time as interim coach and was a crucial part of the programs recent upward trajectory. Her wise guidance and kind spirit was instrumental to the success of both boats in her final races as a Williams coach. Coach Miles reflected that "We weren't entirely sure that we would make it to nationals, it's been 4 years since we made an appearance. But not only did we get a bid, we came in 5
th place in the1V event and 4
th place in the 2V event. I am so proud of our 5th all-team placement. Today showed everyone where Williams is in the sport of rowing. The commitment that this team made at the beginning of the year to making this goal a reality was so impressive. Their team worked day in and day out to make their dream come true."
Williams Women's Crew has a whole lot to be proud of this season, but this is only the beginning for this group of strong women. The team is back and fast, and the upcoming season in the fall is sure to bring more success and proud athletes.
