ITHACA, N.Y.—The William Smith College rowing team opened the spring racing season at the Cayuga Duals on the Cayuga Inlet today. The Duals feature head-to-head racing.
 
The Heron varsity eight and second varsity eight both raced twice on the day with each crew getting one win and one loss. Conditions on the inlet were good in the first 1,500 meters of the race course, but the last 500 were plagued with gusty head winds and whitecaps. 
 
The William Smith 1V, ranked 10th in the nation, began the day with a showdown against No. 3 Ithaca. The Bombers won the day, finishing 15.3 seconds ahead of the Herons and capturing the Ithaca-William Smith Cup.
 
Hannah Glenshaw, Bridget Kiejna, Karoline Loretan, Laurie VanBenschoten, Annika Linden, Jennifer Sullivan, Margaret Cameron, Anna Moreau, and Emma Hobika rebounded to beat Franklin & Marshall in the afternoon, logging a time of 7:33.5, 27.5 seconds better than the Diplomats.
 
"The crew showed a lot of confidence," William Smith Head Coach Sandra Chu said. "Even though they were down off the line, they had the patience and composure to move through F&M by the 500 and then the discipline to keep widening the margin."
 
William Smith's 2V of Alyssa Deem, Elizabeth Warren, Lizzy Houston, Madeline Cook, Madelaine Hamilton, Tatiana Loftus, Lauren Pomerantz, Emma Lubrano, and Jackie Steinman dueled Ithaca as well to start the day. The Herons traded leads with the Bombers through the first 1,300 meters, but Ithaca was able to pull away down the stretch for a 2.4-second victory.
 
"The 2V laid down an inspirational, gutsy performance," Chu said. "They didn't back down and the competition between the crews was impressive. We didn't handle the conditions in the last 500 as well as Ithaca and it hurt us."
 
The 2V squared off with Ithaca's 3V in the afternoon, pulling away for a nearly 25-second margin of victory.
 
William Smith's novice eight and second novice eight both raced once on the day. The Heron 1N was 16.7 seconds down to Ithaca while the 2N was 20 seconds behind the Bombers.
 
"We're glad to have this annual opportunity against our Finger Lakes neighbors," Chu said. "The competition is always strong and racing is high quality."
 
William Smith will be back on the water on Sunday, April 2, when the Herons host defending national champion Wellesley and Williams on Seneca Lake.