Women's Crew Sweeps at Worcester
WORCESTER, MA – The women of Williams crew opened their season with a resounding sweep of the four eights races they entered in a regatta with Holy Cross and UNH at Lake Quinsigamond. The closest race of the day was won by the first varsity boat, who trumped the Holy Cross varsity boat by three seconds, while the women’s novice eight rowed to a dominant 44 second victory over their closest competitor. Conditions were rough and variable throughout the day, with gusting wind that changed direction throughout the course of the regatta, making for a challenging first race of the season.
The first varsity boat attacked from the opening meters of the race, powering through the first 500 meters and gaining open water on the field at the 1,000-meter mark. “Our early move proved to be effective,” said captain Katherine Robinson ’09, “and put us in a position to defend the strong pushes that UNH and Holy Cross made in the second half of the race.”
Though Williams held the lead throughout the race, Holy Cross remained within striking distance and sprinted early, keeping the varsity eight on their toes. Holy Cross briefly regained contact in the final 200 meters, but Williams was able to turn it on, regain the space, and push the Crusaders further off their stern to take the win, crossing the line in 7:09, with Holy Cross at 7:12 in second place, and UNH in 7:17 in third.
With a feisty Holy Cross crew keeping things close in the first 500 meters of the second varsity race, the Williams 2V boat made a decisive move and opened up some significant distance on their competition, rowing to a seventeen second win (7:20) over Holy Cross (7:37).
Second varsity coxswain Monsie Munoz ’09 was impressed with her crew’s ability to handle the challenging conditions and emerge with a victory. “I think the crew handled themselves very well and went out, set a race plan, and finished with a solid race,” said Munoz. “We have a great handle on the basics and now need to work together to find the details that can pull us ahead during a close race.”
Williams blew the third varsity race open early in the race, cruising to a sixteen second win over Holy Cross. With an experienced crew loaded heavily with sophomores and juniors, the women went to work and distanced themselves from the competition. “I thought the 3V had a focused and controlled race, especially during the first 1,000 meters,” said 3V coxswain Becca Licht ’11. “Our goal for next week is to focus on the third 500 and work on having a better sprint.”
The novice eight took the largest win of the day, dominating second-place UNH by an unbelievable forty-four seconds. Freshmen Fiona Wilkes coxed her crew to a victory marked by many lengths of open water and, though only the first race of the spring season, the Williams novice women look as if they’ll carry the legacy of impressively fast Williams novice crews into the 2009 season.
Captain Sam Smith ’09 was optimistic about the weekend’s results and noted that with the first race out of the way, each crew is now able to identify specific parts of their race to work on. “In the 1V, we are going to work on creating sustainable, fast, aggressive base rhythms,” said Smith, “so that we can open up distance on other crews without needing to shift our rates up in the middle of the race.”
With most Williams crews racing well out in front of their competition this weekend, the drive to stay focused is a challenge presented to each crew. “When the race is not close in the second half,” said Smith, “we usually think about racing the clock. In these early races, other schools and coaches check out the times we post for at regattas, which help determine our rankings and lane assignments at the championship regattas, so it's important to race our fastest every week.”
Additionally, Williams entered two varsity fours in the regatta, giving several athletes the opportunity to race twice, while ensuring that all of the coxswains each got a chance to cox a boat. Though the focus of the Williams program is strongly in favor of eights, the Williams women turned in respectable performances in the fours race considering how little time they’ve spent practicing in those lineups and given the choppy conditions.
The Williams “A” and “B” fours took second and third place respectively, behind a solid UNH crew (8:12) who took a seventeen second win over Williams “A”. Williams “A”, coxed by Licht, crossed the line in 8:29, while Williams “B”, coxed by sophomore Liz Zhu, completed the 2,000 meter course in 8:34.
Wiliams will return to Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester next weekend to take on WPI, Conn, and Simmons.
Williams Lineups:
First Varsity
Coxswain Allison Prevatt ‘09
Stroke – Sam Smith ‘09
7 – Julia Haltermann ‘10
6 – Dorothy MacAusland ‘12
5 – Meg Conan ‘09
4 – Emma Pelegri – O’Day ‘12
3 – Kate Shaper ‘12
2 – Katherine Robinson ‘09
Bow – Sarah Ginsberg ‘10
Second Varsity
Coxswain Monsie Munoz ‘09
Stroke – Heather Burrell ‘11
7 – Anna Soybel ‘11
6 – Jessica Kopcho ‘09
5 – Jane McClellan ‘12
4 – Laura Caccamo ‘10
3 – Bianca Czaderna ‘11
2 – Elissa Brown ‘09
Bow – Ellen Stuart ‘11
Third Varsity
Coxswain Becca Licht ‘11
Stroke – Kat Conaaway ‘09
7 – Maddy Berky ‘10
6 – Katiin Konkel ‘10
5 – Adrienne Darrow ‘11
4 – Joya Sonnenfeldt ‘10
3 – Rachel Hudson ‘10
2 – Emma Lehman ‘10
Bow – Mara Shapero ‘11
Novice Eight
Coxswain Fiona Wilkes ‘12
Stroke Sara Wallace ‘12
7 – Clara Coughlin ‘09
6 – Kelsey Conklin ‘12
5 – Abbie Deal ‘12
4 – Lizzy Brickley ‘10
3 – Sydney Tooze ‘12
2 – Ashley Amos ‘12
Bow – Nora Kern ‘12
Varsity Four “A”
Coxswain Becca Licht ‘11
Stroke – Sara Wallace ‘12
3 – Kat Conaway ‘09
2 – Adrienne Darrow ‘11
Bow – Kaitlin Konkel ‘10
Varsity Four “B”
Coxswain Liz Zhu ‘11
Stroke – Emma Lehman ‘10
3 – Mara Shapero ‘11
2 – Abbie Deal ‘12
Bow – Clara Coughlin ‘09
