Saints Advance All Crews to Grand Finals at NYS Championships

May 1: The St. Lawrence University women's crew team advanced both varsity eights to Grand Finals at the New York State Rowing Championships Saturday, in Whitney Point, NY, while the Saints open four won their final and the third varsity eight took home the bronze. The varsity eight and the second varsity eight will compete tomorrow, Sunday, May 2nd.

The Saints varsity eight had an impressive performance, winning the second heat and finishing with the second fastest time of the day. St. Lawrence earned first with a time of 7:11.25, while Skidmore finished second in 7:17.78. Both crews knocked RIT, Albany, and Hamilton out of the Grand Final.

Sophomore Lizzy Stokes-Cawley stroked the boat, while first-year Jessica Burdett sat seven seat, senior Amelia Bell sat six seat, first-year Maggie Fellows sat five seat, senior Amelia Lalley sat four seat, senior Eloise Lachance sat three seat, sophomore Kathleen Slocum sat two seat and senior Jane Connolly sat bow. Junior Lauren Reed coxed the varsity crew.

Ithaca College won the first heat and proved to be the only crew to beat the Saints' time. The Bombers crossed the line in 7:01.58, while William Smith finished second with a time of 7:13.97, keeping Vassar, Geneseo and Union from continuing on to finals.

Marist and the University of Rochester will also join the Saints in tomorrow's Grand Final. Marist won the third heat with a time of 7:13.84, while the Yellowjackets finished second in 7:14.74. Both crews defeated Army, Binghamton, RPI, and Cazenovia, knocking them out of the Grand Final.

St. Lawrence's second varsity eight kept the streak alive, finishing second in the first heat to advance to Grand Finals. Ithaca College edged the Saints' crew, finishing first with a time of 7:12.11, while the Scarlet and Brown took second with a time of 7:16.04. St. Lawrence defeated the University of Rochester, Union, and Vassar, therefore keeping them out of tomorrow's final.

Senior Jackie Costas stroked the eight, while senior Erin Hussey rowed seven seat, sophomore Jeannine Condon rowed six seat, senior Briana Kehl rowed five seat, sophomore Brianna Tidd rowed four seat, first-year Britton Weber rowed three seat, first-year Kaitlin Summer rowed two seat, and senior Katie Roy rowed bow. First-year Rachel Gartland coxed the 2V.

Marist and William Smith will accompany the Saints in Sunday's Grand Final. Marist won the second heat with a time of 7:16.28, while William Smith finished second in 7:22.98. Skidmore, Hamilton, and Binghamton will not advance to the finals.

The Saints third varsity eight battled with William Smith in their final Saturday, falling to the Herons by less than a second. Despite the tough loss, St. Lawrence earned the bronze, defeating Skidmore College by over a minute. Ithaca won the final with a time of 7:39.08, while William Smith took second in 7:48.04. The Scarlet and Brown crossed the line close behind in third with a time of 7:48.86, while Skidmore rounded out the event in 8:47.31.

Sophomore Liz Weber stroked the boat, while sophomore Amanda Brewer sat seven seat, senior Corrie Mersereau sat six seat, first-year Sally Danker sat five seat, junior Catie LePage sat four seat, sophomore Maggie Weiner sat three seat, first-year Maddy Fones sat two seat and first-year Molly Simpson sat bow. First-year Kelly Greenwood coxed the 3V.

St. Lawrence's open four also had a successful final, defeating Rensselaer by over a minute and half to win the event. The Saints took gold with a time of 8:56.41, while the Engineers earned second in 10:18.19.

St. Lawrence will resume competition tomorrow morning.