2007 NCAA Champions

Rowing was the first women’s sport at Williams, founded in 1972 by the first class of women to attend the college. Professor George Marcus of the political science department, an ex-Columbia University oarsman, started the women’s crew club and served as its coach for several years.

Williams was a founding member of the Eastern Association of Women’s Rowing Colleges in 1974, and competed in the prestigious Sprints League for the first six years of its existence. 

Williams’ women rowers found great success on the international stage in the program’s first decade.  Nancy Storrs ’73 won a silver medal at the World Championships in 1975 as part of the “Red Rose Crew,” the first U.S. women’s national team camp boat, profiled by Daniel Boyne in his book of the same title. 

Storrs became Williams’ first female Olympian when she finished 6th in the Women’s 4+ in the 1976 Games in Montreal.  Sue Tuttle '79 joined Storrs on the 1980 Olympic Team, though the United States’ boycott prevented them from competing.  Tuttle would go on to win a bronze medal in the 4+ at the 1981 World Championships.

The early 1980’s brought hard times for the program, with three coaches in three years from 1982 to 1984.  In 1984, though, Christina “Cruzer” Cruz, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and a former national team coxswain, took over the program.  Cruz would guide the team for 12 years, helping it to grow in size and achieve varsity status (1988) and regional prominence. Cruz guided the Ephs to the 1994 New England Championship and the Ephs won the title again in 1997 under head coach Robyn Horner.

2006 NCAA Champions

Williams first appearance in the NCAA Championships came in 1998 when the Ephs qualified a four. Biz Smith, Sarah Thomas, Cynthia Osterling and Jana Comstack along with coxswain Yng-Ru Chen represented the Ephs and finished 5th.

With the arrival of head coach Justin Moore in the summer of 1999 the Eph program expanded its influence from being highly competitive in the region to becoming a nationally competitive program.

In his first season Moore led the Ephs to the New England Championship and All Points Trophy, captured the Avaya Championship and landed an At-Large berth in the NCAA Rowing Championships for Women (all divisions). Moore repeated that effort in 2000 and 2001 and then in 2002 his Ephs won the first NCAA Division III Rowing Championships for Women when they topped the field in Indianapolis, IN. Moore's Ephs also claimed the 2006 NCAA title.

Williams became the first NCAA Division III team to win three NCAA Division III Championships in 2007, under the direction of interim head coach Pat Tynan, who was filling in for Moore who was on sabbatical that year with the Canadian National Teams.

The first, best team in NCAA Div. III -- 2002 Williams Ephs