INDIANAPOLIS - After earning one gold and two silver medals during the National Invitational Rowing Championship (NIRC)/NESCAC Championship Sunday on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Massachusetts, the No. 2-ranked Williams College women's crew team earned a spot in the NCAA Division III Championship on May 29-30 at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia.
The Ephs qualified from "Pool C," which includes teams that did not win their conference's automatic qualifier, independents and institutions from conferences that do not meet automatic-qualification standards. The other seven teams that will be joining Williams on the national stage are No. 1 Bates, No. 3 Tufts, No. 4 Trinity, No. 5 Wellesley, No. 6 William Smith, No. 14 Catholic and Puget Sound.
The rowing championships, which will be hosted by University of North Georgia and the City of Gainesville, are comprised of 144 total competitors spanning two events (I Eight and II Eight), covering a 2,000-meter course. All eight teams are required to field two boats of eight rowers and a coxswain.
The Ephs earned runner-up honors during the 2025 NCAA Championship and earned the third-place team title in 2024. Additionally, the program finished in second place on the national stage in 2014 and 2017. Williams leads the NESCAC with 11 all-time conference championships.
