Results on Row2k.com

ROME, N.Y.—The William Smith rowing team's varsity eight won another 2,000-meter race against a nationally ranked crew, staring down No. 10 Hamilton on the Erie Canal. Ranked third in the nation, the Herons crossed the finished line more than 15 seconds ahead of the Continentals.

The varsity eights were the first crews down the course and William Smith burst across the line in 6:52.05. Hamilton came in second in 7:07.06 with RIT finishing a distant third in 7:17.29. Kim Goral, Liz Hafer, Sinead Reilly, Lauren Blake-Whitney, Sarah Gordon, Katie Paige, Tess Wiggins, Alyssa Trebilcock and Jess Steketee propelled the Herons to victory.

William Smith also scored a victory in the final race of the day with a strong showing by the varsity four of Emily Davidowitz, Emily Kemp, Dona Occhipinti, Joellen Mauch, and Grace Walter. They cruised to an open-water victory, producing a time of 8:22.18, well ahead of the Tigers (9:23.76).

In the second varsity eight race, Hamilton earned its first victory of the day, logging a time of 7:09.47. William Smith was just over five second back (7:14.69) in second place with RIT taking third (7:45.71). The Continentals also captured the novice eight race navigating the course in 7:13.27. The Herons were 4.07 seconds behind.

"Each Monday we begin the week with a set of changes the crews need to make," William Smith Head Coach Sandra Chu said. "This weekend's racing was a highly successful culmination of those changes. In each crew we saw improvements that put the squad in good position going forward. We are very pleased by the steps we took today.

"The 1V continues to show dominant speed and the 2V, following another line-up change this week, brought a lot of aggression against a very strong opponent. The 1N was able to really race it. They are definitely putting together a more confident race each weekend. And the 4 held its changes which elevated its performance."

William Smith will be back on the water on Saturday, April 21, when they compete against Holy Cross, Connecticut College, Colby, and Ithaca in Worcester, Mass.