WORCESTER, Mass. -- The Simmons University women's crew team boasted second place finishes in both the women's double event and the women's collegiate novice race today at the Wormtown Chase Regatta on Lake Quinsigamond, Mass.
The Simmons novice eight turned in a time of 23:04.3 to finish just under 11 seconds behind first place winner Worcester Polytechnic Instite of Technology. The Sharks were guided by first year coxswain Eliza Fahey (West Newbury, Mass.) with classmate Maggie Thibault (Hadley, Mass.) pulling from the stroke seat. First years Claudia S. Spedding (Old Saybrook, Conn.) and Libby Taylor (Malden, Mass.) followed in the seventh and sixth seats, while Madi Hedrick (Fishers, Ind.) and first year Samantha Merrow (Gilbert, Ariz.) pulled from the fifth and fourth spots for Simmons. First years Josie Farnese (Exeter, N.H.) and Natalie Schweikhart (Summerville, N.C.) followed before first year bow Jordan Kim (Madison, Conn.).
The Sharks number one double finished second to add to a first place showing from earlier in the season. Junior Samantha Kelsey (Salt Lake City, Utah) teamed with sophomore Emily Niemi (Santa Clarita, Calif.) to post a time of 26:16.7 in the team's first race of the day. The pair finished seven seconds off the first place effort recorded by WPI's mark of 24:23.8. Senior Sabrina Belozerova (Newton, Mass.) combined with junior Steffi Gaehde (Brookline, Mass.) to cross the finish with a time of 27:11.9 to place third, while senior Chloe Feuerstein (Winchester, Mass.) paired with classmate Rebecca Ramsey (Jefferson, Mass.) to register a clip of 28:28.3 to place fourth overall in the double.
The Simmons varsity eight finished 17th with a time of 22:39.8 to cross the finish almost eight seconds ahead of Bryant University. Senior Hannah Dike (Leominster, Mass.) paced the shell from the stroke seat, ahead of classmate Kellie Cann (Needham, Mass.), sophomore Maude Elovitz (Lake Oswego, Ore.), first year Grace Mancuso (Boston, Mass.), senior Lily Pennington (Watertown, Mass.), sophomores Anna Boyles (Ridgeland, Miss.) and Chloe Janes (Brookline, Mass.) and sophomore Mackenzie Gondek (Waban, Mass.) on the bow seat for sophomore coxswain Michaela Hayes (Concord, N.H.), who directed the squad.
The Sharks will be idle until March, concluding their fall racing season.