Blue Crew Takes THIRD at NCAA Championships!

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Wellesley College crew team took third place overall at the 2011 NCAA Women's Rowing Championships.

Blue crew tied the highest ever NCAA finish for a Wellesley squad, matching the Volleyball team's third place finish in 1998.

The day opened with the petite finals, where the Wellesley second varsity eight finished fourth, earning them a 10th place overall finish. The Blue were the second 2V to cross the finish line as Trinity's first varsity eight won, followed by Bates' 2V and the first varsity from Puget Sound.

In the grand finals, Wellesley battled with Bates throughout the race, finishing in third place, narrowly behind the Bobcats. Williams took the overall title with a time of 6:54.43, while Bates clocked in at 7:01.31 and Wellesley finished in 7:02.23. Ithaca took fourth (7:09.99), William Smith took fifth (7:14.04) and the Williams 2V placed sixth (7:16.56).

In the team scoring, Williams earned their sixth consecutive NCAA Division III title with 19 total points. Bates finished in second place with 16 points, while Wellesley's third place total was 14 points. Rounding out the team scoring, Ithaca took fourth (12), William Smith took fifth (9) and Trinity placed sixth (8).

The 2011 NCAA Championships wrapped up a record-setting season for the crew team. Wellesley took home the 2011 NEWMAC Championship, while also winning a Seven Sisters championship in the fall. At the New England and ECAC Championships, the Blue placed 3rd overall, marking the best finishes in program history.

2011 NCAA Crew Championships

Petite:
1) Trinity I 7:06.25
2) Bates II 7:08.22
3) Puget Sound 7:12.38
4) Wellesley II 7:16.40
5) Ithaca II 7:19.69
6) Trinity II 7:35.39

Grand Final:
1) Williams I 6:54.43
2) Bates 7:01.31
3) Wellesley 7:02.23
4) Ithaca 7:09.99
5) William Smith 7:14.04
6) Williams II 7:16.56