Results on Row2k.com

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.—The William Smith rowing team, ranked third in the nation, squared off with top-ranked and defending national champion Williams as well as Division I New Hampshire on Fish Creek today. The Ephs prevailed but the Herons showed they've closed the gap since last season's national championship regatta.

When the William Smith and Williams varsity eights last raced in the 2011 NCAA Championship Grand Final, the Ephs were more than 19 seconds faster than the Herons. Today, Williams crossed the finish line in 6:47.47, just 4.85 seconds ahead of the William Smith lineup of Kim Goral, Liz Hafer, Sinead Reilly, Lauren Blake-Whitney, Sarah Gordon, Katie Paige, Tess Wiggins, Alyssa Trebilcock and Jess Steketee. New Hampshire finished third in 7:10.80.

In the second varsity eight race, the Ephs notched a winning time of 6:52.96. The Herons were next across the line at 7:12.89 with the Wildcats taking third in 7:13.64. The order of finish was the same for the novice eights with Williams posting a time of 7:27.96 to William Smith's 7:40.54 and UNH's 7:57.11.

The Heron varsity four was third behind the Ephs' varsity four and the Wildcats' novice four.

"This weekend was a great opportunity to test our speed," William Smith Head Coach Sandra Chu said. "We came in knowing we had the speed to challenge these two programs and it was enormously satisfying to see that borne out on the water. The 1V's race plan still isn't quite right but what they brought to the water today was unbelievable focus and a fire that made them limitless. They've set a great standard for our team.

"The 2V also stepped up today, delivering a tenacity that we haven't seen yet. They eked out the win, holding off a charging UNH crew by sheer grit. That also is a standard for our team."

William Smith will be back on the water on Saturday, April 14 when the Herons race at Hamilton.