WORCESTER, Mass. -- The Simmons College crew team's First and Second Varsity Eights both finished sixth in their respective Petite Finals races of the 2018 New England Rowing Championship today on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass.

The Sharks 1V8 placed fourth in their morning preliminary heat with a time of 7:04.871 to finish less than two seconds ahead of United States Coast Guard Academy and more than 15 seconds behind University of New Hampshire. The shell, consisting of senior coxswain Kaitlin Fierlit (Hamden, Conn.) ahead of first year stroke seat Eleanor Thidemann (Belmont, Mass.), first year Samantha Kelsey (Salt Lake City, Utah) in the seventh seat followed by senior Ronnie Bennett (Pottstown, Pa.), first year Steffi Gaehde (Brookline, Mass.), sophomore Peizhu Pam Qian (Beijing, China/Developing Virtue Secondary Girls School (Calif.)), sophomores Emily Saunders (Hebron, Conn.) and Hannah Dike (Leominster, Mass.) and sophomore bow Sabrina Belozerova (Newton, Mass.) posted a time of 7:24.088 to finish sixth in the Petite Final, less than eight seconds behind Trinity College (Conn.). New Hampshire captured the Petite Final with a mark of 7:02.224, while Bates College won the Grand Final with a time of 6:46.476.

Simmons 2V8 also placed fourth in its morning heat with a time of 7:41.786 to cross the finish more than 11 seconds ahead of Coast Guard. The Sharks Second Varsity posted a mark of 7:40.391 to finish sixth by less than two-tenths of a second behind Amherst College's entry in the Petite Final. University of Vermont won the PF with a time of 7:18.355 and Bates captured the 2V8 Grand Final on a time of 6:45.070. Simmons featured a lineup of  junior coxswain Melissa Morton (Somers, Conn.) ahead of senior stroke Elsbeth Colson (Everett, Mass.), junior Madison Summers (Hudson, N.H.), first year Elaine Nolan (West Bridgewater, Mass.), junior Christine Yu (Plainville, Mass.), sophomores Lily Pennington (Watertown, Mass.) and Rebecca Ramsey (Jefferson, Mass.), junior Nicole Lee (North Reading, Mass.) and sophomore bow seat Chloe Feuerstein (Winchester, Mass.). 

The Sharks will be in action again on Friday, May 11 when they return to Lake Quinsigamond for the National Rowing Invitational Championship.