PENNSAUKEN, N.J. -- The conditions were ideal on the Cooper River today as Williams raced in the Grand Finals at the NCAA DIII Rowing Championship. It was an exciting end of the season for both boats, and Williams left Camden proud of their impressive season, the team ranked sixth overall, eager to get back on the water next fall.
The 2V raced in the Grand Final at 10:48 against Bates, Wellesley, Tufts, Wesleyan and Ithaca. The boat was coxed by
Sarah Gantt and stroked by
Riley Galizio, followed by
Anna Owens,
Ellie Iorio,
Marie Brewer,
Abby Murphy,
Audrey Riddle,
Isabelle Zollinger and
Ava Rust in bow seat. The boats were even off the start, and Williams right with the pack with their strong starting sequence. Although Bates fell behind after the start, from 500 onwards Bates and Wellesley pushed ahead of the other crews. Williams and Wesleyan remained tight in the middle 1000 of the races, and Williams leaned into their calm rhythm and composure to push forward. Williams and Wesleyan were even until 500 meters to go, and then Williams picked up their momentum with an effective sprint to walk through Wesleyan. Williams finished bow to stern ahead of Wesleyan with a time of 7:18, in third, behind Wellesley's time of 7:11.2. Senior and 2 seat
Isabelle Zollinger reflected that "the race was poppin lockin polka dottin the whole time. There was so much love in this boat and that's what drove us over the finish line. I wish I could give more detail, but I blacked out after the first 300. In the end, we got third!"
The 1V raced in the Grand Final at 11:36 against Wellesley, Wesleyan, Ithaca, Tufts and Bates. The boat was coxed by
Julia Lim and stroked by
Maya Tait, followed by
Emily Hugo,
Erin Barry,
Isabel Mikheev,
Ellie Davis,
Ella Napack,
Prairie Resch and
Gabby Fazzalari in bow seat. There was a false start, and the boats had to row back to the starting line and begin again. Williams had a forceful start and first 500 meters, pushing them up ahead of Wesleyan and Bates, 2 seats off Tufts. Wesleyan walked through Williams in the second 500 meters, and Williams took an effective collection at the 1000 meters to push into Ithaca next to them. Williams began to walk back on Ithaca and Tufts in the third 500 meters, but the other crews were able to walk away in the sprint. Williams hit a goose in the last 200 meters of the race, but they regained their composure to cross the line in fifth with a time of 7:18, 6 seconds off Tufts time of 7:12.8. Senior and 6 seat
Erin Barry reflected that "Everything that could've happened, did happen: we did a false start, we hit a goose in the sprint. Even if the result wasn't what we wanted, we rowed our hearts out for each other and did what we set out to do in our race, and for that I couldn't be prouder. We've had an amazing season together as a boat, and I know we've started a new chapter for Williams Women's Crew.
Eph's Assistant Head Coach
Eileen Russell shared that "this weekend left me feeling proud of all the work and the training this team has put in, but also of the love and support that this team provides to each other. Many of our athletes that weren't racing traveled to support the team, which demonstrate the depth and commitment of our whole team. I hope our athletes come back in the fall hungry for more competitive racing."
The boats ended their season proud of their accomplishments and excited by the successful podium finish for the 2V. Williams had a phenomenal season from start to finish. As the team says good bye to their seniors, they are looking forward to returning to take more strokes back on Onota Lake next fall.
