GAINESVILLE, Ga. — The Williams College women's crew finished its season at the NCAA Division III Championship at Lake Lanier Olympic Park, taking home a fifth-place finish in team points overall behind first-place Tufts, followed by Bates, William Smith, and Trinity., The second varsity eight claimed a second-place trophy while the first varsity eight placed fifth.
Due to impending inclement weather in the area on Saturday, Division III races were condensed to Friday for both the heats and finals, meaning the Ephs had to adjust quickly to racing twice in the span of a few hours.
The 2V took the start line bright and early for their 7:38 a.m. heat, coxed by sophomore Ayanna Keshav with junior Lindsay Gadsden in stroke seat, followed by sophomore Betsy Owens, first-year Anne Moghtader, seniors Maya Tait, Molly McWeeny and Annie Refermat, with sophomore Isolde Rayman-Moore next and first-year Jordan Bose in bow. With the new schedule change, Williams had to secure a top-three finish to advance to its grand final in the afternoon.
The Ephs quickly got off the start line in the front of the pack, which included Wellesley, Trinity and Puget Sound. As the boats crossed the 500-meter mark, Trinity and Williams battled it out, trading bow balls and exchanging strong moves while holding off Wellesley and Puget Sound by over length.
With a time of 6:47.808, the Ephs crossed the line two seconds behind first-place Trinity and 16 seconds ahead of third-place Wellesley.
Williams' 1V boat then lined up for their heat at 7:53 a.m., facing William Smith, Tufts and Puget Sound. Senior Ariana Oppenheimer coxed the boat, with junior Courtney Fitzmaurice in stroke seat, followed by senior Carolyn Fortin, first-year Miranda Miller, senior Ellie Davis, first-year Madeleine Lasell, senior Claire McDonald, junior Vivian Johnson, and senior Audrey Riddle in bow.
The last time most of these crews faced each other was just two weeks ago, at NIRCs in Worcester, Massachusetts, where Williams took second place behind Bates. In this heat, Tufts began to lead the pack in the first 500 meters, and Williams and William Smith fought for second over the middle 1000 meters.
During the sprint, the Ephs made a strong push to take a few seats on William Smith and cross the line ahead, but ultimately held off in their sprint with the afternoon's race in mind. The Ephs finished with a time of 6:38.705, eight seconds behind first-place Tufts and less than two seconds behind second-place William Smith.
With both the 1V and 2V qualifying for their respective grand finals, the Ephs returned to the humid Lake Lanier in the afternoon after some rest.
The 2V lined up for their grand final at 3:32 p.m. with a slight cross-tailwind on the course. The Ephs were in lane five against Tufts, Trinity, William Smith, Bates and Wellesley. Williams had an incredibly strong start, beginning up on all other crews in the first few hundred meters. At the 500 meter mark, Tufts' eight began to walk through the Ephs, while Trinity and Williams battled it out for second place in the remaining 1500.
With 500 meters to go, Trinity began a powerful sprint, but the Ephs were not giving up. They held them bow ball to bow ball, and ultimately overtook Trinity's 2V in a photo finish, with a margin of a mere two-thousandths of a second.
The Williams second varsity finished with a time of 6:37.436, two seconds behind Tufts. As three-seat Refermat said of the race, "After being injured all of last year, coming back and helping the 2V get to where we are was incredible to witness. I am so proud of this team, this boat and especially my senior class."
The first varsity eight grand final competition locked onto the start line following the 2V race, with Williams in lane one against Trinity, Tufts, Bates, William Smith and Wellesley. The Ephs had a competitive start, up four seats on Trinity and Bates in the first 500 meters and managing to hold contact with Tufts through the 1000 meter mark. Tufts, Bates and William Smith, however, managed to gain momentum on a few successive moves in the third 500 of the race, and the Ephs struggled to hold on. They did not give up the fight, and battled it out with Trinity until the finish line, finishing with a time of 6:37.170, only a tenth of a second behind fourth-place Trinity.
This weekend marked the end of the rowing careers at Williams for 11 seniors. As 1V coxswain Oppenheimer said of the race, "It was so great to have one last race with the senior class and my friends. I'm proud of all the team put out there, regardless of outcome."
