CAMDEN, NJ – For the fourth consecutive year and fifth time in program history, the Williams women’s crew has captured the NCAA Division III Rowing Championship, taking both the team title and the varsity eight title. The Williams first varsity eight (1V) took first place, while the second varsity eight (2V) took fifth place in the grand final, amassing 24 points to rise atop the team standings. Bates College was second with 19 points, while Trinity College was third with 17 points.
Going into Saturday’s grand final, the second varsity had put the entire team in perfect position to seize a fourth consecutive national championship by becoming the only 2V8 to qualify for the grand finals. The Williams 2V8 shocked the Ithaca 1V in Friday’s grand qualifier, edging out the Bombers by one second to advance to the Saturday’s grand final .
“The 2V had a tremendous amount of pressure on them on Friday,” said head coach Justin Moore. “As a team you can’t ask for anything more than to have your 2V racing with the 1Vs. We knew that if we could get them through the grand qualifier [into the final], they would have done everything we could possibly have asked of them.”
In the grand final, the Williams 1V took lane two, flanked by Ithaca I in lane one, and Trinity in lane three. Bates I took lane four, with the Williams 2V in lane five, and Puget Sound I rounding out the field in lane six. After a clean start, the 1V nudged ahead of the field, with Trinity and Bates hanging tight and pushing the pace. The 2V hung with Ithaca, battling for fourth place, several seconds behind the 1V.
“Everyone started fast and aggressive,” said 1V coxswain Allison Prevatt ’09. “We knew they would and we were ready to be right there.”
Crossing the 1000-meter mark, Williams, Bates and Trinity had separated themselves from the field. The Williams 1V led Bates by a second, with Trinity just tenths of a second behind, making for an extremely competitive three-boat race for the title. Ithaca had pushed into fourth place by a second over the Williams 2V, with Puget Sound falling behind Williams by several seats.
During the third 500 of the race, Williams continued to push, and Bates responded, edging ahead of Williams at various points, with the fans filling the grandstands at the finish line gasping and shouting with anticipation of the finish. Trinity settled solidly into third with 500 meters to go, while the Williams 2V pushed into fourth over Ithaca and pushed the pace to the finish line.
With 400 meters to go, the 1V sprinted ahead for the last time, stretching their lead to half a length and pushing through to victory, taking nearly a three second win over Bates. The winning time by the Williams 1V was an aggressive 6:28.04, over thirty seconds faster than their heat time on Friday, with Bates following in 6:30.77. Trinity closed out the medals with a third place finish in 6:36.03.
“It was a nailbiter,” said Prevatt. “We’ve raced Bates all season and we knew what was coming. We put on a sprint that was higher and longer than anything we’ve done this season.”
The Williams 2V battled Ithaca during the sprint, but the Bombers, likely fueled by their loss to Williams on Friday, edged away at the finish to claim fourth place in 6:39.16, with the Williams 2V taking fifth in 6:42.00 and ensuring Williams would capture their fourth straight national team title, to accompany the varsity eight title the 1V had secured only moments before.
“We had a lot of goals for this weekend and we surpassed them every time”, said 2V senior coxswain Monsie Munoz. “This was a very internal race for us; we really focused on having this boat be the best it could be and focused on executing our race. It was just a total team effort."
Of the eight Division III national titles that have been contested since 2002, Williams has claimed five (2002, 2006-2009).
Williams will lose nine seniors to graduation, seven of whom competed in the 1V and 2V at the NCAA Championships. NCAA competitors Meg Conan, Katherine Conaway, Jessica Kopcho, Monsie Munoz, Allison Prevatt, Katherine Robinson, and Sam Smith, as well as classmates Elissa Brown and Clara Coughlin, will graduate on Sunday from Williams having won the team title at the NCAA Championships each of their years at Williams.
“The seniors are a huge part of the reason we have won four championships in a row,” said Moore. “They have done a tremendous job of teaching and will leave quite a legacy behind for the women who will lead the team next year.”
Coxswain Allison Prevatt ‘09
8 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
1 Julia Halterman ‘10
Williams 2V
Coxswain Monsie Munoz ‘09
8 Kat Conaway ‘09
7 Sarah Wallace ‘12
6 Ellen Stuart ‘11
5 Jess Kopcho ‘09
4 Jane McClellan ‘12
3 Adrienne Darrow ‘11
2 Anna Soybel ‘11
1 Maddy Berky ‘10
Updates from Friday's Heats:
Update from Emma Lehman '10:
The Williams Women's crew team had their first round of
qualifying heats this
morning for the NCAA National Championships. The first varsity
boat, rowing at
8am, won their heat handily to advance to the Grand Final tomorrow
morning.
The 1V beat out Puget Sound, St. Lawrence, and Smith 1Vs, and
Ithaca's 2V.
The 2V squared off against the Washington College, Ithaca, and
Trinity 1Vs,
along with 2V boats from St. Lawrence and Smith Colleges at 8:30.
They came in
third, to advance to the Grand Final qualifying heat this
afternoon.
The team has been in Cherry Hill, New Jersey since Wednesday
afternoon,
rowing the course and preparing for their races. Arriving
Wednesday after a six
hour van ride, the women rigged their boats, took a trip down the
course, and
set up camp at the racing grounds at Cooper River Park. Thursday
saw the
women practicing on the course again, and attending the NCAA
opening
banquet.
Last year, both the IV and 2V raced their way to the Grand Final
and finished
second and third overall, respectively, bringing home the team
Championship
title. This year, both boats are hoping to make it to the Grand
Final again. "We
are going to attack early in the race this afternoon," says Monsie
Munoz '09, the
coxswain of the 2V. "There are some fast boats in our heat,
and we need to be
aggressive and try to separate our boat from the start"
Pre-Championship:
Justin Moore's Williams women's crew team will be aiming to etch
the Eph name in the NCAA Women's Rowing record book this weekend
when they take to the water in the Cooper River in Camden, NJ in
search of their fourth straight NCAA Division III title. To date
the Ephs are the lone Division III team to win three consecutive
titles.
The Ephs will compete on Friday, May 29th and Saturday May
30th.
The first of three Division III heats on Friday will go off at
8:00 AM, followed by the second heat at 8:15 and the third heat at
8:30.
The Petite Qualifier will be held on Friday afternoon at 2:30,
followed by the Grand Qualifier at 2:45 PM.
Saturday's schedule features the Third Final for teams that
finished 13-16 on Friday at 11:00 AM. The Petite Final comprised of
boats finishing 7-12 on Friday will start at 11:15. The Grand Final
featuring the top six boats from Friday will go off at 11:30.
The Division III Awards Ceremony is scheduled to begin at 12:00
PM.
To watch the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships on your computer
access the two links listed below:
Friday
video link
Directions to the Cooper River Course
From the West:
Take the PA Turnpike east to the Valley Forge exit. At Valley
Forge, take I-76 east to
Philadelphia
. Stay to the left after passing the Girard Avenue Exit. Exit at
I-676. Follow signs for the Ben Franklin Bridge. Go straight ahead
after the tollbooth to Admiral Wilson Blvd. Do NOT bear right onto
I-676. Go about one mile and then take the left branch at top of
overpass. After overpass, bear right onto NJ Route 70. Go right
onto Cuthbert Blvd. At first traffic light on Cuthbert Blvd., turn
right onto North Park Drive. The course is on the left side of
North Park Drive. Trailer-only parking is to the left.
From North or South:
Exit the NJ Turnpike at Exit 4. Go right onto NJ Route 73 North.
Exit from Route 73 onto NJ Route 38 West. Exit from NJ Route 38 at
Cuthbert Blvd. Go south on Cuthbert Blvd. At first traffic light,
turn right onto North Park Drive. The course is on the left side of
North Park Drive. Trailer-only parking is to the left.
From the South:
From I-95 north, follow signs to Walt Whitman Bridge. On the
bridge, stay in the right lane and take the first right as you come
off the bridge. Follow signs to NJ Route 130 north. Stay on Route
130 through one circle. After going under a railroad bridge, watch
for the Cooper River on the right. Take the first right after
passing the river (the first traffic light). This is North Park
Drive. Continue for 2000 meters. Trailer parking is at the end of
the course on the right.
From the North:
From I-95 south, follow signs to the Betsy Ross Bridge. When you
come off the bridge, follow signs to NJ Route 130 south. Stay on
Route 130 for a few miles to a major intersection. Pass through the
intersection still on Route 130. At the next traffic light, you
want to turn left but you must exit from the right. This is North
Park Drive. Continue for 2000 meters. Trailer parking is at the end
of the course on the right.
Common Directions:
The trailer parking area is on the south side of North Park Drive.
Only trailers are to be parked here. There is a large parking lot
at about the 1000 meter mark on the course. This is for cars, vans
and buses.
Curbside parking is permitted in legal areas. However, the curb
area along North Park Drive between the small bridge and Cuthbert
Blvd. is for loading or unloading only. Others will be ticketed.
