No. 4 Saints Send All Eights to Grand Finals at ECAC Championships
in
by:
Joe LalleySt. Lawrence's first varsity eight finished sixth at ECACs Sunday.
May 9: The St. Lawrence University women's crew team advanced all three eights to grand finals Sunday, at the ECAC Championships in Worchester, MA. Both the Saints first varsity eight and second varsity eight finished sixth in the finals, while the third varsity eight earned fifth.
St. Lawrence's 1V rowed a solid race in the third heat on Sunday morning, finishing second behind no. 3 Bates College by about half a boat length. The third heat was particularly tight with the top four crews all finishing within around two seconds of each other. The Bobcats won the heat with a time of 7:06.78, while the Saints followed in 7:09.19. Wellesley just missed qualifying for the grand final, crossing the line third with a time of 7:11.22, trailed closely by Mt. Holyoke who earned a time of 7:13.62. Tufts (7:31.90) and RIT (8:00.81) rounded out the heat.
The Saints continued on to the grand final where they faced no. 1 Williams, no. 2 Ithaca, no. 5 Trinity, no. 3 Bates, and the Division I University of New Hampshire. Despite Williams separating themselves from the rest of the fleet, the remaining five crews all finished particularly close to one another. The Ephs earned gold with a time of 6:36.61, while the Bombers took home the silver in 6:43.70. Trinity trailed Ithaca by a little over half a boat length, grabbing the bronze with a time of 6:47.92. Bates and UNH may have required a photo finish, since the race was so tight. However, Bates finished fourth with a time of 6:48.08, while UNH followed in fifth with a time of 6:48.71. St. Lawrence finished roughly bow to stern with UNH, crossing the line in 6:52.52.
Junior All-American Lizzy Stokes-Cawley stroked the 1V, 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.
St. Lawrence's second varsity boat also had an outstanding race in the third heat, finishing first with a time of 7:14.44 after battling with Division I Holy Cross. Holy Cross finished with a time of 7:14.67 and was the only other boat in the third head to advance to the grand final. William Smith (7:16.98), Mt. Holyoke (7:35.93), and Wesleyan (8:02.45) rounded out the heat.
Williams, Trinity, Ithaca, and Bates joined St. Lawrence and Holy Cross in the grand final. The No. 1 Ephs earned gold by a significant margin, beating second place Bates by open water. The Bobcats finished with a time of 6:59.95, while Ithaca took home the bronze with a time of 7:01.96. Trinity battled with Ithaca, finishing fourth by about a seat with a time of 7:02.51. Holy Cross trailed in fifth with a time of 7:13.73, followed by the Saints in sixth with a time of 7:20.87.
Senior Jackie Costas stroked the Saints' 2V, while senior Erin Hussey sat seven seat, sophomore Jeannine Condon sat six seat, senior Briana Kehl sat five seat, first-year Maddy Fones sat four seat, first-year Britton Weber sat three seat, sophomore Brianna Tidd sat two seat, and senior Katie Roy sat bow. First-year Rachel Gartland coxed the boat.
St. Lawrence's third varsity eight continued the streak, finishing second in their heat to advance to the grand finals. Since the 3V's event only had two heats, the top three finishers in each heat continued on to grands. Ithaca won the second heat by a significant margin, earning a time of 7:37.14. The Saints followed in 7:53.81, while Simmons earned the final qualifying spot with a time of 7:56.83. Tufts rounded out the heat with a time of 8:19.67.
Williams, Smith and William Smith faced St. Lawrence, Ithaca, and Simmons in the grand final. The Ephs earned a third gold medal, handily beating the rest of the fleet with a time of 7:02.11. The Bombers grabbed the silver in 7:18.31, trailed by Smith who finished third with a time of 7:24.32. Simmons finished fourth in front of the Saints with a time of 7:25.63. St. Lawrence topped William Smith by open water, finishing with a time of 7:34.63. The Herons rounded out the event in 7:45.95.
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, junior 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.
ECACs ends St. Lawrence's regular season. The Saints will wait to find whether or not they'll receive a bid to Nationals this week.