First Varsity Eight, Third Varsity Eight and 4+ Boats Medal at NIRC/NESCAC Championships

WORCESTER, Mass. - The No. 2-ranked Williams College women's crew team's first varsity and third varsity eight boats earned silver medals, while the varsity four took home a gold medal, during the National Invitational Rowing Championship (NIRC)/NESCAC Championship Sunday on Lake Quinsigamond.

The 4+ lined up for first for Williams on the day, coxed by

Qi Wang '26 and stroked by

Amelie Etter '29, followed by

Piper Widmer '28,

Rendell Belanger Curren '29 and

Megan Finando '29. The Ephs lined up against Wesleyan, UNH and Ithaca in Heat 1 and immediately got off to a strong start. Wesleyan, UNH and Williams held each other through the first 750 meters, but the Ephs soon began to pull away, gaining an open water lead into the 1,500. They continued to push their bow ball ahead, finishing 26 seconds ahead of second-place Wesleyan with a time of 8:51.142 and earning a spot in the afternoon grand final.

The women's third varsity raced second in its heat against Smith, Trinity, Wesleyan, Colby and Coast Guard and also needed a top-two finish to secure a place in the grand final.

Charis Woo '27 coxed the boat with

Jordan Bose '29 in stroke seat, followed by

Isolde Rayman-Moore '28,

Olivia Thurman '27,

Caroline Ripsteen '29,

Annika Binstadt '29,

Ellery Franceschini '29,

Laela Clark '28 and

Lily Clemens '28 in bow.

Off the start line, the Ephs had a slower start than usual, slightly down to Trinity and Smith. In the first 500 meters, the crew managed to walk it back up on Trinity and continued to push its bow ball inches and inches forward on Smith's crew. At the 1,200-meter mark, the Ephs started to gain a few seats on Smith with a powerful response, walking it up seat by seat. Ultimately, they were able to finish almost a full boat length ahead due to this move, setting the tone for the afternoon and qualifying for the third varsity eight grand final. The crew finished with a time of 7:30.385, the top finish in all third varsity eight heats and over four seconds ahead of second-place Smith.

To secure a spot in the grand final, the second varsity crew similarly had to finish at least second in its heat that included Bates, Hamilton, Coast Guard, Ithaca, and Mount Holyoke. The third varsity was led by coxswain

Ayanna Keshav '28, with stroke seat

Lindsay Gadsden '27, followed by

Betsy Owens '28,

Anne Moghtader '29,

Catherine Farman-Farmaian '26,

Charlotte Ragozin '27,

Annie Refermat '26,

Molly McWeeny '26 and

Maya Tait '26 in bow.

The Ephs and Bobcats got off the line fast, battling it out in the first 500 meters, a similar repeat of what happened last weekend at the New England Rowing Championship. The Ephs, as they also did last Saturday, did not falter and used Bates' strong start as motivation yet again. They pulled ahead early, between the 750-1,000-meter mark, and began to walk it away with open water above all crews. Williams crossed the line first in its heat with a time of 7:26.870, over six seconds ahead of second-place Bates.

The 1V also needed a top two finish in their heat to secure a spot in the grand final, against competitors Wellesley, Wesleyan, Skidmore, WPI, St. Lawrence, and UNH. Coxswain

Ariana Oppenheimer '26 brought the 1V to the line, followed by stroke seat

Courtney FitzMaurice '27,

Carolyn Fortin '26,

Vivian Johnson '27,

Ellie Davis '26,

Madeleine Lasell '29,

Claire McDonald '26,

Miranda Miller '29 and

Audrey Riddle '26 in bow. The crew had a powerful first few strokes off the start line, immediately bow ball to bow ball with Wellesley and Wesleyan. All three boats held each other through the first 500 meters, but at the 750, the Ephs began to walk it up on both crews. Their strokes were long through the water despite being at a lower rate in the headwind, but this connection brought them up in the lead to the finish. The Ephs finished their heat first with a time of 7:16.047, almost 4 seconds ahead of second-place Wellesley.

After a morning of fast races, the 4+ and third, second and first varsity eight boats secured spots in the respective grand finals with first-place finishes in all heats.

In the afternoon, the 4+ lined up for its grand final against Trinity, Wellesley, Wesleyan, UNH and WPI. As coxswain Wang said of her last collegiate race, "It was amazing. We had the smoothest start yet and were able to get bow ball on all five other crews immediately. I could not have picked a better way to go out as a senior." The 4+ dominated through the next 1,500 meters of the race, finishing with a time of 9:15.891, 14 seconds ahead of second-place Trinity, earning the Ephs their first medal of the day.

The next grand final of the afternoon was the third varsity eight, and the Williams' boat lined up for its grand final alongside competitors Tufts, Trinity, Bates, Wellesley and Smith. Off the start, the Ephs were as calm and collected as ever, getting their bow ball ahead of everyone on the course, but Smith and Tufts. By the 400-meter mark, the Ephs soon pushed ahead of Smith and had their sights set on Tufts as they sat two seats back. At the 1,000-meter mark, the Williams' third varsity attempted a move to get even with the Tufts' crew, but strong gusts hitting in conjunction with Tufts' powerful sprint proved to be a challenge. The third varsity finished strong, securing a second-place medal with a time of 7:55.325, five seconds behind Tufts.

In the second varsity grand final, the crew lined up against Tufts, Wesleyan, Trinity, Smith, Bates and William Smith. The second varsity had a challenging start, immediately battling it out with Wesleyan and Bates for third, fourth and fifth place in the first 250 meters. Being down in the first half of the race proved difficult, but the Ephs fought to the end with Bates, trading moves and seats until the end. The crew eventually crossed the line with a time of 7:36.441, finishing in fifth place overall.

In the first varsity grand final, the Ephs lined up against Wellesley and William Smith as well as fellow NESCAC schools Bates, Tufts and Trinity, of which these four teams would compete to be the top NESCAC finisher and take the title for the conference.

Williams had a solid start, beginning even with all other crews in the first few hundred meters. At about the 500-meter mark, Tufts' and Trinity's first varsity eights began to walk it up ahead of the pack, but Williams was ready to respond. The crew began to walk it up first on Bates, and then at the 800 mark, began to walk through Tufts with each stroke. Halfway through the race, it was a four-boat race, with Williams, Trinity, Tufts and Bates bow ball to bow ball with one another. The Ephs managed to walk it up in the third 500 meters, with Bates following close behind, while Trinity and Tufts fell about four seats back. The Bates' crew eventually took the stroke rate up above Williams and were able to gain a seat of momentum and continue to push ahead with that momentum. Bates crossed the line first with a time of 7:06.210, followed by the Ephs with a time of 7:08.518.

At the end of the day, the Ephs finished third in team points in the NESCAC to runner-up Tufts and NESCAC champion Bates.

"I am so proud of this team," said head coach

Paula Thoms. "Our novice 4+ winning the open 4+ event was an inspiring start to the finals and a great way for the student-athletes to complete their season. The third varsity left it all out on the water and asserted itself as a national stand out in its category. The second varsity did not have the final it wanted but will learn from it and persevere. The first varsity had such a brave race. The competitors stayed calm and confident in a tight field, and I know this race will inspire them through our preparation for the NCAA Division III Championship."

The Ephs hope to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship, which will be announced during the selection show at 5 p.m. on May 12.