WORCESTER, Mass. - The number 15th ranked Simmons College crew team's first varsity, second varsity and third varsity all competed at the New England Championship on Saturday, April 30 on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass. today on the 2,000 meter course.
The Sharks scored 14.51 combined points to place 23rd among 29 Division I, II and III schools.
The 1V8 placed fourth in the first heat with a time of 7:07.774 to place behind University of New Hampshire at 6:53.701. Number one Bates College won the heat with a mark of 6:48.404 to qualify for the finals with number seven Tufts University, which turned in a time of 6:50.963. The Sharks shell was stroked by senior Chelsea Foster (Avon, Conn.) with sophomore Phoebe Knox (Scituate, Mass.) in the seventh seat followed by classmate Ronnie Bennett (Pottstown, Pa.), senior Sophie Stone (Greenland, N.H.), sophomores Erica Bartle (Arlington, Mass.), Erin Lilienthal (Niantic, Conn.), seniors Jess Randolph (Concord, N.C.) and senior bow Jill Bolduc (Methuen, Mass.) with junior Olivia Smiaroski (Northfield, Mass.) sitting in the coxswain seat.
Simmons 1V8 came back to post a sixth-place finish in the petite finals with a time of 7:26.021. UNH won the race in 7:05.987 with number eight Colby College in second at 7:13.973.
The Sharks 2V8 finished fifth in their opening day heat with a time of 7:25.485. Williams College (6:58.007 and Wesleyan University (7:07.926) each advanced to the finals. Simmons was comprised of sophomore Elsbeth Colson (Everett, Mass.) in the stroke seat, ahead of classmate Elizabeth Rea-Wilson (Concord, Mass.), first year Eliana Ruben (Pittsfield, Vt.), senior Allie Belanger (Blackstone, Mass.), first year Niamh McIntosh-Yee (Excelsior, Minn.), senior Abi Smith (Brookline, Mass.), sophomore Karina Bercan (Derry, N.H.) and sophomore bow Alexa Frongillo (Franklin, Mass.) with sophomore coxswain Clarice Johnson (Norwell, Mass.) providing the verbal push. The Sharks placed fifth in the third level race later in the day, recording a time of 7:51.001. United States Coast Guard Academy topped the race with a mark of 7:39.483 with Fairfield University placing second in 7:41.102.
Simmons took fourth place in the 3V8 morning heat with a time of 7:44.880 to edge out Smith College (7:48.271). Wellesley College won the heat with a time of 7:17.194, ahead of second-place finisher Wesleyan's time of 7:22.893. The Sharks came back to place fourth in the petite finals with a 8:06.012 effort. Trinity College won the race with a finish of 7:42.268, before Fairfield's shell crossed at 7:45.842. The first year-laden Simmons contingent was stroked by Kit Birch (Mansfield, Mass.), followed by Madison Summers (Hudson, N.H.), Jacquelyn Noyes (White River Junction, Vt.), Kellie Cann (Needham, Mass.), Christine Yu (Plainville, Mass.), Kneide Nascimento (Revere, Mass.), Nicole Lee (North Reading, Mass.) and Sara Amina Hassad (Winchester, Mass.) sitting in the bow seat. Sophomore Katie Fierlit (Hamden, Conn.) took on the coxswain duties for the shell.
The Sharks will return to Lake Quinsigamond on Sunday, May 8 to compete in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship.