BOSTON/CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The number 11-ranked Division III Simmons College women's crew team competed against number two-ranked Bates College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology this morning on the Charles River in Cambridge and Boston, Mass. as part of the Charles River Racing Series #2.
The Sharks One Varsity Eight shell placed third to Bates, which finished with a time of 7:18.6 and MIT's lightweight crew, which finished second with a mark of 7:29.6. Simmons turned in a time of 7:41.1. Senior Chelsea Foster (Avon, Conn.) sat in the stroke seat for the Sharks, followed by sophomores Phoebe Knox (Scituate, Mass.), Ronnie Bennett (Pottstown, Pa.), Erin Lilienthal (Niantic, Conn.), Erica Bartle (Arlington, Mass.) and seniors Sophie Stone (Greenland, N.H.) and Jess Randolph (Concord, N.C.) ahead of senior bow Jill Bolduc (Methuen, Mass.). Junior Olivia Smiaroski (Northfield, Mass.) pushed the crew from the coxswain perch.
The second varsity eight for Simmons also finished third in its race. The squad clocked in at 8:28.0 on the 2,000 meter course, finishing behind Bates 2V's time of 7:49.3 and the Bobcats' 3V shell, which crossed the finish at 8:15.2. The Sharks finished ahead of MIT (8:34.1) by just over six seconds. Sophomore Elsbeth Colson (Everett, Mass.) paced the shell from the stroke seat. Senior Allie Belanger (Blackstone, Mass.) rowed from the number seven spot, followed by first year Eliana Ruben (Pittsfield, Vt.), sophomore Elizabeth Rea-Wilson (Concord, Mass.), first year Niamh McIntosh-Yee (Excelsior, Minn.), senior Abi Smith (Brookline, Mass.), sophomore Karina Bercan (Derry, N.H.) and Alexa Frongillo (Franklin, Mass.). Sophomore Clarice Johnson (Norwell, Mass.) kept the squad focused from the coxswain seat.
Simmons' novice crew closed out the morning for the Sharks, placing second to Bates' third varsity, while finishing ahead of MIT. Simmons posted a time of 8:46.5 behind first year stroke Kit Birch (Mansfield, Mass.). The seventh seat featured classmates Madison Summers (Hudson, N.H.), Rachel Mazur (Princeton, Mass.), Kellie Can (Needham, Mass.), Kneide Nascimento (Revere, Mass.), Nicole Lee (North Reading, Mass.) and Christine Yu (Plainville, Mass.) First year Sara Amina Hassad (Winchester, Mass.) pulled from the bow seat, while first year Melissa Morton (Somers, Conn.) set the pace as the coxswain. Bates finished with a mark 8:13.6, while MIT cruised in at 9:00.1.
The Wellesley Invitational, which was scheduled for tomorrow has been canceled, so the Sharks will compete again on Saturday, April 9 when they race in the Donahue Cup on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass.