WORCESTER, MA—The conditions were ideal today on Lake Quinsigamond as Williams geared up to race at the 21
st annual Donahue Cup. Williams brought four boats to Worcester today to race against a competitive rival, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, among other Division I and III crews. Williams swept across the board, winning each race, and left with the Donahue Cup itself for the first time in 4 years.
The 2V raced first, coxed by
Sarah Gantt and stroked by
Anna Owens, followed by
Abby Murphy,
Audrey Riddle,
Riley Galizio,
Marie Brewer,
Molly McWeeny,
Ava Rust and
Ellie Iorio in bow seat. WPI and Williams jumped ahead of University of Rochester and Connecticut Collage off the start, and both boats continued to increase this lead through the first half of the race. Williams and WPI had tight margins going into the 500-meter mark, and then Williams began to walk through WPI as they neared halfway. Williams took an effective move to focus over the 1000-meter mark, and then widened the gap between them and WPI as they remained strong through the third 500. Williams took seat after seat to gain open water in the sprint, but then caught a crab in the last 150 meters. Williams was able to collect and regain composure quickly without losing too much speed and crossed the line 3 seconds ahead of WPI with a time of 6:59.4.
The 2V's moved on to the Grand Final to race WPI, Clark, Washington College and University of Rochester. Williams' forceful start gave them an immediate seat up on WPI and Clark, and Williams locked into their rhythm quickly to keep this margin. By the 300-meter mark, Williams had a couple more seats up on WPI and Clark. Williams retained their composure across the 500-meter mark, and then took a decisive move at 800 meters in. The boat gained a seat every stroke during this power move and sailed ahead. Williams had open water by the 1250-meter mark, and they leaned into their gritty sprint to finish ahead with a time of 7:24.3, 6 seconds faster than WPI. 5 seat
Riley Galizio shared that "Today was evidently a great day for WWC. The 2v started off with a solid race, where our main competitor was WPI. We stayed steady on their 3 seat for a while, and while, we caught a crab in the last 500, we remained calm and pulled through for the win. The second race was the 2v's best race of the year in my opinion. The warm-up gave us a good start, and the whole boat could feel the power and composure throughout the race. We moved faster on WPI than we did in the first race and maintained our efficient power. The sprint felt very light and gave us the open water on WPI. We had a great day of racing!"
The 1V was coxed by
Julia Lim and stroked by
Maya Tait, followed by
Isabel Mikheev,
Erin Barry,
Emily Hugo,
Ellie Davis,
Ella Napack,
Prairie Resch and
Gabby Fazzalari in bow seat. Williams raced WPI, University of Rochester, Connecticut college and Simmons in their heat. WPI gained a seat up on Williams off the start, but Williams took an early move in their settle to get back even with WPI by the 300-meter mark. Williams then pushed ahead of WPI and Clark and worked through them in the middle of the race, gaining momentum and seats as they neared halfway. The crew took a focus 10 strokes over the halfway point for composure and relaxed shoulders, which sent them ahead of WPI by 3/4s of a boat length. WPI responded with a move that helped them gain a seat back, and then Williams dug in to keep increasing their lead. Williams gained open water on WPI by 500 meters to go, and held this lead to the finish. Williams ended with a time of 6:26.37, the fastest Women's course time for the day, 5 seconds ahead of WPI.
The 1V raced WPI, Clark, University of Rochester and Mount Holyoke in the Grand Final. Williams leaned into their start sequence and jumped ahead immediately and began to take seats on the other crews in the first 500 meters. The crew held a high stroke through the first half of the race, which propelled them forward and helped them gain a significant lead on the other crews by 750 meters in. By the halfway point, Williams was bow to stern with WPI, and the crew maintained this lead until the line. Williams executed their typical relentless third 500 meters, and then brought up the rate in the last 400 meters of the race. WPI had a very effective sprint, but Williams was able to hold their margin and end with a time of 7:04.9, 4 seconds ahead of WPI. 4 seat
Ellie Davis reflected that "we all felt great about the effort we put in and the results that we got. We've honed in on a strategy of being relentless through the middle thousand and it's been our main weapon in overtaking our competition. Seeing our Coach
Paula Thoms get her first cup was super rewarding."
The 3V raced WPI, University of Rochester and Connecticut College in their event. The boat was coxed by
Katie Scott and stroked by
Isabelle Zollinger, followed by
Carolyn Fortin,
Emma Caruso,
Claire McDonald,
Arden Fluehr,
Mia Kabillio,
Ella Potee and
Madeleine Horn in bow seat. University of Rochester had the lead off the start, but then both WPI and Williams were able to walk back as the boats settled into their rhythms. WPI and Williams remained neck and neck through the 500-meter mark, fighting seat for seat. Williams took a composure 10 strokes over the 800-meter mark, which pushed them ahead of the other crews. They walked through WPI with this move and had a boat length lead over the halfway point. Williams continued to grow this distance and momentum in the second thousand, with a focus on strong catches and timing. By the sprint, Williams had 2 lengths of open water on the rest of the field. Williams finished with a time of 7:34.9, 11 seconds ahead of WPI. 3 seat
Mia Kabillio shared that "we had a strong race from start to finish. In the beginning we were even with two other boats, but after great calls from our coxswain, Katie, we began to pull away from the rest of the field and maintained a strong lead for the reminder of the piece. I'm super proud of our boat and all of the other Williams boats who raced today. It was a fun competition."
The 4V was coxed by
Riku Nakano and stroked by Katie Mckenna, followed by
Brenda Jaroker,
Alina Ramirez,
Grace Clarke,
Annie Refermat,
Amaka Ibekwe,
Greta Gruber and Bri Palmieri in bow seat. Williams was the only boat in the 4V event today, but the crew remained motivated and enthusiastic despite not being side by side with another boat. Williams had a very strong start, and they entered the race determined to keep the split down and maintain their technical focus. 700 meters in, the crew was hit by some gusts that rattled their composure, but the rowers leaned into their rhythm and were able to bring the split back down over the halfway point. They executed the middle of the race at a 32 stroke-rate, which was their goal, before bringing it up to a 34 in the spring. They had a forceful sprint to take them across the line with a time of 7:57.9. 6 seat
Alina Ramirez reflected that "despite the confusion of not having an opponent, I think our boat still made the 2k a really productive one. We used it as an opportunity to focus inwards and ended up rowing one of our most consistent and clean races."
Williams traveled back to campus enthused by the results and eager to build on this momentum at practice on Monday. The team is now seeded 1
st in the division and is determined to continue their progress as the season continues. WWC will be racing the home course next weekend, on Lake Onota in Pittsfield.
