Ephs win all three races at Skidmore Sprints

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The Williams College women's crew team swept the competition at the first regatta of the season, securing first-place finishes in all three of their races against Wellesley, Skidmore, Franklin & Marshall and Bryn Mawr at the Skidmore Sprints on Saturday, April 4. For the first time in the past three years at the race, Saratoga was sunny and water conditions were decent, with a strong tailwind and surrounding fishing boats that produced challenging wakes for crews to maneuver.

"This race put a great cap on our spring break training," said head coach

Paula Thoms. "The team showed up unified and strong. We look forward to sharpening the edges this week and executing again next Saturday."

The Williams' third varsity eight lined up first, with

Charis Woo '27 in the coxswain seat and

Jordan Bose '29 in stroke seat, followed by

Isolde Rayman-Moore '28,

Olivia Thurman '27,

Caroline Ripsteen '29,

Annika Binstadt '29,

Rendell Belanger Curren '29,

Laela Clark '28 and

Lily Clemens '28 in bow.

The crew had a strong start, quickly gaining a solid six-seat lead for the first 1,500 meters of the race. "Our first 500 meters were aggressive," five-seat Ripsteen said of her first collegiate spring race. "We held a solid six-seat lead for the first 1,500 meters and had to push through choppy conditions to hold off an early sprint from Wellesley and finish out a close race, really embracing our team motto of 'seat by seat." Williams' boat was the first to cross the line in the third varsity eight with a time of 7:03.9.

The first varsity eight lined up next, led by coxswain

Ariana Oppenheimer '26, followed by

Maya Tait '26 in stroke seat,

Courtney FitzMaurice '27,

Ellie Davis '26,

Madeleine Lasell '29,

Carolyn Fortin '26,

Vivian Johnson '27,

Claire McDonald '26 and

Miranda Miller '29 in bow seat.

The water became mostly flat at the beginning of the race, and the crew surged ahead in the first 500 meters with a composed and efficient start sequence. From 500 meters onward, the Ephs held about a boat length lead over Wellesley, holding off the other crew's strong pushes at the 1,000-meter mark and in the final sprint. Oppenheimer said of the race, "The boat felt extremely connected and long throughout. It was an awesome start to the season and we went out there and executed everything we have been working on really well." The boat finished with a time of 6:44.7, ahead of second-place Wellesley by five seconds.

Finally, the Williams' second varsity eight lined up last, with

Ayanna Keshav '28 in the coxswain seat, stroked by

Lindsay Gadsden '27, followed by

Betsy Owens '28,

Anne Moghtader '29,

Catherine Farman-Farmaian '26,

Molly McWeeny '26,

Annie Refermat '26,

Charlotte Ragozin '27 and

Audrey Riddle '26 in bow.

The crew also gained an early lead, with coxswain Keshav calling bow ball on Wellesley's boat and open water off the other crews within the first 500 meters of the race. The boat only extended that lead, pulling away each stroke. Like the third varsity eight, the second varsity eight faced difficult conditions in the last 1,000 meters, but pushed through to preserve the lead in the final sprint down the course. "I was really proud of how our boat committed to making moves on other crews today," said five-seat Farman-Farmaian of the race. "I could feel the buy-in and aggression every time Ayanna called for a 'power 10." Williams won the race with a time of 6:57.96, ahead of second-place Wellesley by over 16 seconds.

The Ephs head to Worcester, Massachusetts, to compete in the annual Donahue Cup on Saturday, April 11, at Lake Quinsigamond.