Williams 1V, 2V Advance to NCAA Grand Final
CAMDEN, NJ – Williams College will be the only school in Division III to send two eights to Saturday’s NCAA Division III Grand Final, thanks to the second varsity (2V)’s first place performance in the grand qualifier and the continued dominance of the Williams first varsity (1V) in their Friday morning heat.
In the Friday morning heats, the top seeded Williams 1V rowed away from the competition in heat one, cruising to an 18 second win and an automatic trip to Saturday’s grand final. With only 500m down in the race, the 1V took a boat-length lead over the field, stretching their lead to nearly twelve seconds at the 1000-meter mark, and continuing to distance themselves towards the finish line. Williams crossed the line in 7:04.3 to take the win, with Smith I placing second in 7:22.2, closely followed by St. Lawrence I in third in 7:22.4. By virtue of their second and third place finishes in their heat, Smith and St. Lawrence earned their spots in Friday afternoon’s grand qualifier. The 2V boats from Ithaca and Puget Sound took places four and five to advance to the petite qualifier.
In heat two, Bates I took an easy win over Puget Sound I, with Trinity II placing third. Like Williams, Bates I will automatically advance to the grand final with Puget Sound and Trinity moving to the afternoon grand qualifier.
In heat three, the Williams 2V faced off with Trinity I and Ithaca I and rowed to a third place finish in their heat, guaranteeing themselves a spot in Friday afternoon’s grand qualifier. Trinity I and Ithaca I moved ahead early, with Trinity inching ahead by the 1,000-meter mark, and Williams hanging in third on the stern of second place Ithaca. Trinity took control down the stretch, taking a four second victory, and finishing in 6:58.1, with Ithaca placing second in 7:02.7. Williams took third in 7:10.2 and captured the final place in the grand qualifier, easily defeating fourth place Washington (MD), an at-large entry to the field. Smith II and St. Lawrence II took fifth and sixth place.
With a spot in the afternoon grand qualifier, and some ground to cover in order to join their 1V boat in the grand final, the Williams 2V more than rose to the task, capturing first place in the grand qualifier and putting two Williams boats in the grand final for the second straight year. As it was in 2008, Williams is the only school to advance both their 1V and 2V to the grand final.
Facing Ithaca I, Puget Sound I, Smith I, St. Lawrence I, and Trinity II, the Williams 2V needed a top three finish to assure themselves a place in the grand final. With the stakes high, the Williams II battled Ithaca I to the line and emerged with a one second victory, taking the win in an impressive time of 6:46.27, with Ithaca I right behind in 6:47.34. Williams is the only second varsity boat to qualify for the grand final. Puget Sound I captured the last ticket to the grand final with their third place finish, finishing ten seconds back in 6:57.96. St. Lawrence I, Smith I, and Trinity II, in places four through six will com pete in Saturday’s petite final to determine places seven through twelve, along with Bates II, Ithaca II and at-large entry Willamette who took places one through three in the petite qualifier.
Bates I and Trinity I, by virtue of their first place finishes in heat two and three respectively, will join the Williams 1V and 2V in the grand final to compete for the national title, in addition to Ithaca I and Puget Sound I.
The grand final will be contested at 11:30 AM on Saturday, where Williams will contend for their fourth straight national title.
Williams 1V
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
