Wellesley Crew Wins Tenth Straight Seven Sisters Championship

BRIGHTON, Mass. -- Paced by a victory in the Second Varsity 8+ race and runner-up finishes in the Varsity 8+ and Novice 8+ races, Wellesley College crew captured the program's tenth consecutive Seven Sisters title at the 2018 Seven Sisters Championship Regatta on Sunday morning on the Charles River.

Smith College took first in the Varsity 8+ race, edging out Wellesley's time of 13:59.3 with a mark of 13:56.9. Mount Holyoke was victorious in the Novice 8+ race, finishing the 2.25 mile course in 15:02.1. Bryn Mawr was victorious in the exhibition 1.25 mile Alumnae 8+ race with a time of 8:55.9.

Wellesley earned the title with 27 points, with runner-up Smith finishing just two points back with 25. Mount Holyoke took third with 19 points, while Simmons was fourth with 17 points and Bryn Mawr was fifth with five points. The title is the tenth in-a-row and tenth overall for the Blue, who are now tied with Mount Holyoke for the most in Seven Sisters rowing history. 

Mount Holyoke's Novice 8+ (15:02.1) opened Sunday's racing by finishing just over 20 seconds ahead of a pair of Wellesley boats in the Novice 8+ race. The Blue finished second (15:22.0) and third (16:08.8), with Smith following in fourth (16:26.5). Simmons was fifth (17:27.8), while Bryn Mawr rounded out the field with a time of 19:02.5. 

The Blue fielded two of the top three boats in the Second Varsity 8+ race, winning the event with a time of 14:27.0. Smith followed in second (14:46.5), ahead of the second Wellesley boat in third (15:22.2). The Pioneers also took fourth (16:14.9), with Simmons finishing in fifth (16:15.0) and Mount Holyoke taking sixth (16:53.).

The Pioneers would go on to capture the Varsity 8+ race in a close finish with the Blue, as less than three seconds separated the two crews. Simmons took third (14:54.9), while Mount Holyoke was fourth (14:55.6) and Bryn Mawr finished in fifth (15:30.7).

Seven Sister Championship play began in November 1980, when Barnard hosted Bryn Mawr, New Rochelle and Vassar in a four-team basketball tournament, won by New Rochelle. Following the tournament, the original Seven Sisters institutions - Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe, Smith, Vassar and Wellesley - joined to conduct championships in common sports. Radcliffe (now Harvard in the athletic arena) was invited but opted not to join, and Barnard (now competing as Columbia) was unable participate in all championships. Currently, Seven Sisters Championships are held in crew, cross country, squash, swimming & diving and tennis.

2018 Seven Sister Championship Regatta:

Team Scores:

Wellesley: 27
Smith: 25
Mount Holyoke: 19
Simmons:17
Bryn Mawr: 5 

All-Regatta Team:

Bryn Mawr: Madison Barches, Sophie McConnell, Cassidy Healey (N)
Mount Holyoke: Hannah Leblanc, Liz Hazen, Joselyn Greer (N)
Smith: Clara Slesar, Maddy Gallay, Elise Anderson (N)
Simmons: Steffi Gaehde, Samantha Kelsey, Emily Niemi (N)
Wellesley: Katie Livingston, Beatrice Grauman-Boss, Katie Ball (N)