BOSTON, Mass. - The Simmons College Varsity Eight crew placed third this morning at the 29th Annual Seven Sisters Championship on the Charles River in Boston, Mass. to lead the Sharks crew squad.
The regatta consisted of a pair of varsity eight events as well as two novice eight races, featuring teams from Simmons, host Wellesley College, Bryn Mawr College, Mount Holyoke College and Smith College. Simmons placed fourth overall in the regatta with 12 points. Host Wellesley College won all four events to score 32 points to win the championship.
The Sharks turned in a time of 16:07 to finish third and 17 seconds head of fourth-place Smith. Wellesley won the race with a mark of 15:39. The V1 consisted of junior Jill Bolduc (Methuen, Mass.), first years Ronnie Bennett (Pottstown, Pa.) and Erin Lilienthal (East Lyme, Conn.), senior Nicole Poirier (Wayland, Mass.), juniors Sophie Stone (Greenland, N.H.), Chelsea P. Foster (Avon, Conn.) and Allie Belanger (Blackstone, Mass.) and first year Phoebe Knox (Scituate, Mass.) with sophomore coxswain Olivia Smiaroski (Northfield, Mass.) leading the way.
All of Simmons entrants were penalty-free on the day. The second varsity eight crew of junior Abi Smith (Brookline, Mass.), sophomore Mellyssa de Paiva (Várzea Grande, Brazil), junior Alexa Gallishaw (Seekonk, Mass.), first year Michelle Crosier (Shrewsbury, Mass.), junior Rachel Corning (Ipswich, Mass.), senior Laura Matt (Fairfax Station, Va.), senior Eva Weber (Guilford, Conn.) and sophomore Kendall Olivia Trautman (Raynham, Mass.) were directed by junior coxswain Jess Randolph (Concord, N.C.) and clocked in at 18:07 for a fourth place finish for the Sharks. Wellesley won the race with a mark of 16:39.
The first novice eight crossed the line with a mark of 19:37 behind the oars of first years Kait Fierlit (Hamden, Conn.), Kat Cline (Carlton, Ore.), Rachel Wadkins (Winthrop, Mass.), Natalie Moore (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Eleanor Pullan (Northampton, Mass.), Alexa Frongillo (Franklin, Mass.), Karina Bercan (Derry, N.H.) and Erica Bartle (Arlington, Mass.) along with first year coxswain Clarice Johnson (Norwell, Mass.) for a fourth-place showing as well. Wellesley's time of 17:28 was the fastest in the race.
The second novice eight rowed to a time of 21:04 to also finish fourth. The shell included first years Sophie Ulyatt (Edgartown, Mass.), Zahra Dhanerawala (Monmouth Junction, N.J.), Wren Tenore (Rocky Hill, Conn.), Aliya Jaber (West Orange, N.J.), Jessica Dawicki (Shelburne, Mass.), Grace VanBuskirk (Plymouth, Mass.), Elizabeth Rea-Wilson (Concord, Mass.), and Elsbeth Colson (Everett, Mass.), while first year coxswain Emily Alpert (Marlboro, Mass.) gave direction.
Poirier and Bartle were each named to the All-Regatta Team. Poirier got the nod for the varsity one crew, while Bartle was a novice selection for Simmons.
The Sharks will be off until the Spring when they compete again on Saturday, April 4, hosting Bates College and University of Vermont on the Charles River in Boston.