WORCESTER, MA – The Williams women replicated their dominant performance from last week, sweeping all the eights races and capturing two of the three fours races, on their way to winning the Donahue Cup. With several boats seeing lineup changes, and measurably better weather conditions this week, the Williams boats raced aggressively and posted impressive times.
In the 1V, the women looked for an aggressive start and a strong second half to highlight their race. They capitalized on their goals, rowing to open water by the 500 meter mark and taking advantage of a tailwind to cruise to victory, posting a speedy 6:38 over the 2,000 meter course. Their closest competition, Simmons, placed second in 7:04, with WPI and Connecticut College following up in third and fourth, respectively.
“This was a race where we weren’t pushed by any other crew after the 500m mark,” said 6-seat Sam Smith ’09, “so we’re pleased with the 6:38 and our ability to row a strong second half of the race.”
The second varsity won in a similarly convincing fashion, getting out to an early lead and shutting down the race. Coxed by Monsie Munoz ’09, the 2V persevered through a windy first 500 meters, and had open water before the 1,000 meter mark. “We still tried to make a move in the middle to change boat speed,” said Munoz, “and used the third 500 meters to open the margin. Our sprint at the end was a goal for us, and the speed lifted, but not as much as we wanted—that’s something we have to work on.” Williams finished in 6:56, with Simmons in second in 7:21.
In fours racing, the women's varsity four (V4) and the second varsity four (2V4) came in first and second in their respective races.
The V4, coxed by Becca Licht ’11, overcame a three-seat lead by WPI in the opening meters of the race to move ahead and win by nine seconds. Licht was pleased with her crew’s response to being down off the start. “Our goal was to focus rowing well together in the first 500m,” said Licht, “and even though we were down on WPI’s four, we stayed calm and walked through them on our first move.” Williams crossed the line in 7:38, with WPI second in 7:47 and Conn College taking third.
The 2V4 rowed a tight race with Conn College, keeping it close until the very end, and ultimately taking second. After rowing a solid first 1,000 meters, the women had left Conn College ‘B’ behind, and held a slim two-seat lead over Conn College. The women battled through the third 500 meters with Conn, but a strong move by Conn in the final 500 meters sent the Camels (7:44) through to the finish line a five second margin at the line, with Williams crossing in 7:49 and Conn College ‘B’ in third.
The novice eight came out firing, breaking the seven-minute mark for the first time as a boat (6:55) and picking up a 23-second victory over Simmons. Additionally, the novice four pulled out a four second win over Conn College to capture a second win for the novice crew.
“The Donahue Cup is always really a nice experience,” added Smith. “The women from the other teams are great to talk with and it’s nice to hear how their seasons are going. Overall, the experience is always really pleasant.”
The Williams men and women will host Amherst and Wesleyan for the Little Three Championship on Saturday, April 18.
Varsity Lineups:
V8
Coxswain Allison Prevatt ‘09
Stroke – Katherine Robinson ‘09
7 – Sarah Ginsberg ‘10
6 – Sam Smith ‘09
5 – Meg Conan ‘09
4 – Dorothy MacAusland ‘12
3 – Kate Shaper ‘12
2 – Emma Pelegri-O’Day ‘12
Bow – Julia Haltermann ‘10
2V8
Coxswain Monsie Munoz ‘09
Stroke – Heather Burrell ‘11
7 – Jane McClellan ‘12
6 – Jessica Kopcho ‘09
5 – Anna Soybel ‘11
4 – Laura Caccamo ‘10
3 – Bianca Czaderna ‘11
2 – Elissa Brown ‘09
Bow – Ellen Stuart ‘11
V4
Coxswain Becca Licht ‘11
Stroke – Maddy Berky ‘10
3 – Kat Conaway ‘09
2 – Adrienne Darrow ‘11
Bow – Kaitlin Konkel ‘10
2V4
Coxswain Janna Gordon ‘11
Stroke – Emma Lehman ‘10
3 – Rachel Hudson ‘10
2 – Clara Coughlin ‘09
Bow – Mara Shapero ‘11
