BOSTON/CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The Simmons College crew team opened the 2017 spring season with a pair of races vs. cross-river neighbor Massachusetts Institute of Technology this morning on the Charles River. The races were moved up a day due to the expected inclement weather conditions. Both races were on a 2,000-meter course with a light tailwind and good water.
The Engineers took the opening race between the teams' First Varity Eight squads with a time of 7:00.85, while the Sharks crossed the finish in 7:35.68. Junior coxswain Clarice Johnson (Norwell, Mass.) directed the Simmons crew comprised of junior stroke Phoebe Knox (Scituate, Mass.), followed by first year Kate Krawczuk (Harrisbury, Pa.), senior Karina Bercan (Derry, N.H.), junior Ronnie Bennett (Pottstown, Pa.) in the fifth seat, sophomore Eleanor Pullan (Northampton, Mass.), junior Alexa Frongillo (Franklin, Mass.), first year Sabrina Belozerova (Newton, Mass.) and graduate student Jess Randolph (Concord, N.C.) in the bow seat.
MIT's Second Eight nipped the Simmons Second Eight by just over nine seconds with a time of 7:37.27 to the Sharks' 7:46.83. Simmons Third Eight clocked in at 8:14. Sophomore Madison Summers (Hudson, N.H.) served as the stroke for the Sharks Second Eight, followed by junior Elizabeth Rea-Wilson (Concord, Mass.), sophomore Kellie Cann (Needham, Mass.), first years Rebecca Ramsey (Jefferson, Mass.), Brianna Patterson (Pelham, N.H.), Olivia Hamilton (Sunapee, N.H.), Emily Saunders (Hebron, Conn.) and sophomore Nicole Lee (North Reading, Mass.) in the bow position in front of first year coxswain Ally Fecteau (Burlington, Conn.). The Simmons' Third Eight featured mostly rookie oarswomen as well with first year Hannah Dike (Leominster, Mass.) taking over the stroke duties ahead of classmate Jess Rush (Marion, Mass.), sophomore Christine Yu (Plainville, Mass.), first years Sarah Walsh (Holbrook, Mass.), Peizhu Pam Qian (Beijing, China), Kyetesie Heller (Sharon, Mass.), Lily Pennington (Watertown, Mass.) and Lauren Martin (Pittsfield, N.H.) in the bow seat. Junior Kaitlin Fierlit (Hamden, Conn.) commanded the shell from the coxswain perch for the Sharks.
Simmons returns to the water on Sunday, April 2 when they compete against Bates College and Radcliffe on the Charles River at 8:00 a.m.