PITTSFIELD, MA—It was a windy and cloudy day on Lake Onota as Williams and Wesleyan raced in the 54
th annual Little Three Regatta. It was a competitive day of racing across all four eights, carrying on the exciting spring tradition between the two rival crews. Williams earned back the Elizabeth Neal Trophy for the 1V, and Wesleyan took home the Williams Crew Class of 2000 award for the 2V and the Captains' Plate for the 3V.
The 1V raced first and 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 had an effective start and gained a few seats on Wesleyan within the first 250 meters of the race. Williams continued to walk on Wesleyan through the 500-meter mark and maintained a half a boat length margin through the 750. Wesleyan took back a seat on Williams around 800 meters in, but Williams took a strong middle move to walk up. Williams executed a strong 3rd 500 meters, as they increased their margin throughout, and then executed an effective sprint to finish with a time of 7:30.3, 3 seconds ahead of Wesleyan's time of 7:33.16. 2 seat
Prairie Resch explained that "there were both new successes and challenges in the 1V today: our start and finish got grittier and more powerful than we've seen them, but Wesleyan's pressure in the middle 1000 meters forced us to contend with the emotions of another boat walking on us. It was definitely a test of our resolve, and although we pulled through, that commitment to the middle 1000 is something our boat will be thinking about for this week to come."
The 2V raced next and was coxed by
Sarah Gantt and stroked by
Anna Owens, followed by
Riley Galizio,
Audrey Riddle,
Abby Murphy,
Marie Brewer,
Madeleine Horn,
Ava Rust and
Ellie Iorio in bow seat. The boat wobbled a bit off the start and Wesleyan was able to jump ahead a few seats within the first 250 meters. Williams regained their composure and fought back with a focus on rhythm and unified connection. Wesleyan had nearly a boat length margin on Williams over the 500-meter mark, yet Williams kept the pressure on them throughout the second 500 meters and did not let them gain any more distance ahead. Williams took a strong move over the halfway point that set them up for an effective second half of the race, but Wesleyan was able to pull away in the last 300 meters. Williams finished with a time of 7:42.2, 9 seconds behind Wesleyan's time of 7:33.5. 5 seat
Abby Murphy shared that "we were down off the start but stayed fighting and connected through the end. I'm proud of all the hard work we got in this week and am excited to take on Tufts next weekend!"
The 3V was coxed by
Katie Scott and stroked by
Isabelle Zollinger, followed by
Carolyn Fortin,
Emma Caruso,
Claire McDonald,
Arden Fluehr,
Mia Kabillio,
Molly McWeeny and
Ella Potee in bow seat. The boat was down off the start but gained back their momentum in their settle into race rhythm. Williams and Wesleyan were even for the first 500 meters, but then Wesleyan began to walk through as the boats neared halfway. Williams maintained contact on the other crew and committed to strong catches to keep up their speed. Wesleyan broke away from Williams over the 750-meter mark, but Williams maintained their composure to execute a strong sprint. Williams finished with a time of 8:11.45, 10 seconds behind Wesleyan's time of 8:01.8. 2 seat
Molly McWeeny reflected that "our boat pushed really hard today. I was proud of us rowing through rough water and giving it our all, even when we were down."
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. The 4V raced in the 3V event, which made for a tough but gritty race in the windy conditions. The 3Vs walked ahead of the boat off the start, but the crew found their stride and pace to stay close to the other crews through the first 500 meters. The boat took a strong power 10 strokes over the halfway point, which helped them regain composure and momentum for the second half of the race. The crew wavered a bit in the third 500 as they fought the difficult conditions, but they were able to come back together in the sprint and drop the split a significant amount. The boat ended with a time of 8:45.87. 7 seat
Brenda Jaroker shared that "it was a really challenging race against the 3Vs, but we're happy we were able to get out there! We stayed with the boats in the first 500 then had to stay mentally tough to push through to the second half. The best part of the race was our sprint at the end."
Eph's Head Coach
Paula Thoms reflected that "All of the Williams boats fought hard today in the tough conditions. Each boat walked away with clear focuses on how to improve and excitement toward gaining speed. Thanks to all the fans, parents, and support staff who helped us make the 54th Little Three Regatta a success!"
Williams is excited to race on the home course again next weekend against Tufts. The crew is eager to learn from the competitive races this weekend and gain momentum as they head into another competitive dual regatta.
