Lake Quinsigamond, Worcester, MA -- It was a great day to be an Eph at Worcester. Williams women's crew took advantage of the strokes they took over spring break and Worcester's sunny weather, to post decisive results over Simmons, WPI, Connecticut College, and Franklin and Marshall in their first regional race of the spring.
The 3V was off the line first for the Ephs, coming together in a new lineup, to post a strong margin of 25 seconds over second place finisher Simmons.
Posting a time of 7:20.2, the Williams 2V raced next. The 2V hit their stride in the first 200m and by the 500m mark had open water on the field, continuing to walk away for the final 1500m.
"We felt a ton of energy in the boat today, and our effort over the past week to synergize our work at the front end really showed," said 2V seven seat Sara Wallace '12.
The Ephs 1V moved through Simmons, Conn, and F&M in the first 500m and shook WPI at the 1000m mark, continuing to increase the gap for the remainder of the race for a 7:10.2 finish, a 20 second margin on WPI.
"I'm proud of the effort we put into our racing today. I think we've built a strong foundation that we can continue to build upon and learn from as we continue to prepare for the rest of our races this season" said co-captian Adrienne Darrow '11.
The novice eight had an exciting morning, with their first 2K race against multiple competitors. In a strong showing, they settled into pace to post a 38 second margin over WPI.
"We had a great race and really got to show off how much power is in our boat this spring" said novice eight stroke Julia May '14.
The varsity four wrapped up the day for the Ephs with a tough fight against Conn College's top four rowers. After a strong first 500m, the Ephs lost some steam and finished 11 seconds off of Conn.
"This first race against regional competition was a great opportunity for us to gauge where we are. As we prepare for New Englands we continue to bring a positive attitude to confronting the challenges each week brings," said Interim Head Coach Brad Hemmerly.
Williams battles Wesleyan for the Little Three title, and faces Holy Cross, Ithaca, and MIT at Lake Quinsigamond on April 16.
