VARSITY 8 RANKED FIFTH IN THE COUNTRY, FIRST IN THE REGION: TEAM EARNS FIRST PLACE RANKING IN NEW YORK

Apr. 23: For the first time in program history, the St. Lawrence Women’s Varsity 8 has broken on to the national spotlight and has earned a fifth place ranking according to the USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association NCAA Division III Varsity Eight Coaches Poll, released Wednesday.

The boat also moves to the top spot in the New York Region, an improvement on their previous third place ranking, ahead of Ithaca College, who moved from fifth to sixth in the national poll this week, and Liberty League opponent William Smith College, who is currently ranked eighth in the country.

The Saints’ women’s crew team also moved up in the Regional team standings, earning the first place spot in New York, ahead of both the Bombers and the Herons.

The Scarlet and Brown showed they were ready, willing and able to compete with the top crews in the country when the Varsity 8 defeated Ithaca two weeks ago on the Bombers’ home course by a 1.5 second margin. It was the first time St. Lawrence had defeated Ithaca in the history of the program.

Teams ahead of the Saints in the National Poll include No. 1 Trinity College, No. 2 Williams College, No. 3 Bates College, and the fourth-ranked United States Coast Guard Academy.

St. Lawrence will compete in the Liberty League Championships in Saratoga Springs, NY against the Herons, as well as Hamilton, Skidmore, Union, and Vassar. While the Thoroughbreds did not make it into the National Poll, they received several votes. Competition begins Saturday morning.

SAINTS WIN THREE AGAINST UNION

IN HOME REGATTA

Apr. 20: The St. Lawrence women’s crew team had another strong weekend on the water, winning each of the three races in their home regatta with Liberty League opponent Union College Sunday morning on the St. Lawrence River.

The Saints entered two boats in the women’s varsity 8 race, and both crews finished ahead of Union’s only entry. St. Lawrence’s first varsity 8 finished with a time of 6:52, while the second came in with a time of 7:17. The Dutchwomen finished the race with a 7:31.

Spectators witnessed a similar finish in the women’s varsity 4 race, with St. Lawrence’s two boats taking the top two spots, with the first crew finishing with a time of 7:37, just ahead of the second, who clocked in at 7:46. Union finished with a time of 8:17.

Each team had one entry in the women’s novice 4 race, where the Scarlet and Brown took top honors in the final women’s race of the day, finishing with an 8:13, while the Dutchwomen weren’t far off, coming in at 8:21.

Saints in the first varsity 8 included junior Michelle Hicks (Austin, TX/St. Stephen’s), sophomore Jane Connolly (New Canaan, CT/St. Luke’s), first-year Lizzy Stokes-Cawley (Skaneateles, NY/Skaneateles), junior Allie Friedman (Buffalo, NY/Buffalo Seminary), sophomore Amelia Bell (Portland, OR/Grant), senior Kate Olsen (Muncy, PA/Muncy), sophomore Eloise LaChance (Philmont, NY/Taconic Hills), senior Amanda Dudley (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), and senior coxswain Renee Rubin (South Burlington, VT/South Burlington).

Racing in the second varsity boat was sophomore Heather Demers (Shelburne, VT/Champlain Valley Union), senior Ann Seyse (Scotia, NY/Scotia Glenville), sophomore Katie Roy (Lake Placid, NY/Northwood School), junior Karen Wilcox (Ellenburg Depot, NY/Northern Adirondack), sophomores Erin Hussey (Biddeford, ME/Biddeford), Amelia Lalley (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca), and Brianna Kehl (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna), junior Jackie Costas (Greenwich, CT/Convent of the Sacred Heart), and senior coxswain Caroline Hannigan (New Rochelle, NY/School of the Holy Child).

The women’s first varsity four included Connolly, Stokes-Cawley, Dudley, Hicks and coxswain Hannigan, while the second included Friedman, Bell, Olsen, Lachance and coxswain Rubin.

The boat included first-years Erin Panek (Natick, MA/Natick), Catie LePage, sophomore Tara Hetz (Charlotte, VT/Champlain Valley Union), Maggie Wiener (Baltimore, MD/Bryn Mawr School for Girls) and first-year coxswain Lauren Reed (Cortland, NY/Cortland).

The Saints were also scheduled to race Hamilton College this weekend, but due to wind conditions on Saturday, the teams were unable to compete on the last half of the course and scrimmaged 1,000-meter pieces with the Continentals.