Wellesley Crew Finishes Third at NEWMAC Championships
WORCESTER, Mass. – Wellesley College crew placed third in the team standings at the 2024 NEWMAC Rowing Championships at Lake Quinsigamond on Saturday.
Smith captured the 2024 NEWMAC Championship for the first time since 2010, claiming the conference's automatic qualifier to the 2024 NCAA Division III Rowing Championships with a runner-up performance in the Varsity Eight (V8+) race and a win in the Second Varsity Eight (2V8+) event. Smith also earned the Florence Jope Smith Cup, awarded annually to the school with the highest number of points from the overall results at the NEWMAC Championships. Smith won the Florence Jope Smith Cup for the ninth time and first time since 2010.
Wellesley seniors Anya Hanitchak (Andover, Mass.) and Kaylee Liu (Acton, Mass.) were named to the NEWMAC All-Conference First Team, as the Blue finished third in the conference championship standings with 37 points. Smith earned 42 points, while WPI was second with 41 points. Coast Guard (30) was fourth, followed by Clark (25), Mount Holyoke (20), and Simmons (15). The conference championship standings accounts for points in the varsity eight and second varsity eight boats.
WPI earned a winning time of 7:09.70 in the V8+, claiming the V8+ title for just the second time in program history. Smith and Wellesley were neck and neck the entire race before the Pioneers inched past the Blue at the very end to earn second with a time of 7:11.38. Blue Crew took third with a time of 7:11.84, nearly six seconds ahead of fourth place Coast Guard (7:17.66).
Smith led the entire way to capture first in the 2V8+ with a time of 7:24.40. Blue Crew was second with a time of 7:31.74. WPI rounded out the top three with a time of 7:35.48. The Pioneers added another win in the Third Varsity Eight (3V8+). Smith had a winning time of 7:36.42. Wellesley placed second with a time of 7:40.20 and WPI was third in the 3V8+ in 7:52.7. Blue Crew also finished second to Smith in the Fourth Varsity Eight (4V8+) with a time of 7:55.91.
Smith's Linnea Schultz (Woodinville, Wis.) was named the NEWMAC Rower of the Year while teammate Sofia Trotta (Guilford, Conn.) and WPI's Emily Howard (Riverside, R.I.) shared NEWMAC Coxswain of the Year accolades. Hanitchak, Liu, WPI's Maggie Kirwan (Wolfeboro, N.H.), Jules Prisco (Pelham, N.Y.), and Megan Tupaj (Amherst, N.H.), and Megan Holm (Flagstaff, AZ) of Smith joined Schultz, Trotta and Howard on the All-Conference first team.
The second team included Katherine Morgan (Glenside, Pa.) and Amanda Nasti (East Northport, N.Y.) of Coast Guard, Katie Woods (Meridian, Idaho) and Anna Tinklenberg (Bloomington, Minn.) from Clark, Mount Holyoke's Emma Waldron (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Lilla Carroll (Birmingham, Ala.) and Dalila Marzialo (Tolland, Conn.) of Mount Holyoke, and Michaline Becknell (Arlington, VA) of Simmons.
Up next, the Blue return to Lake Quinsigamond for the New England Rowing Championships on Saturday, May 4.
NEWMAC Championship AQ Standings
- Smith - 42
- WPI - 41
- Wellesley - 37
- Coast Guard - 30
- Clark - 25
- Mount Holyoke - 20
- Simmons - 15
Florance Jope Smith Cup Standings
- Smith - 40
- Wellesley - 32
- WPI - 28
- Coast Guard - 20
- Clark - 12
- Mount Holyoke - 6
- Simmons - 2
Wellesley Lineups (4/27/24):
V8+: C - Colette Kennedy; 8 - Anya Hanitchak; 7 - Lilly Schaeffer; 6 - Sage Gilbert-Diamond; 5 - Kaitlyn Severin; 4 - Katherine Moeser; 3 - Hannah Bates; 2 - Lucy Weil; 1 - Kaylee Liu
2V8+: C - Rachel Shrives; 8 - Bella Cooper 7 - LiLi Finch; 6 - Bronnie Bailey; 5 - Penny Yost; 4 - Frances Dickinson; 3 - Katie Welsh; 2 - Natalie McGee; 1 - Bryn Flanigan
3V8+: C - Claire Johnson; 8 - Grace Kessler; 7 - Aliki Hollister; 6 - Rachel Hu; 5 - Caroline Witty; 4 - Isabelle Whetsel; 3 - Marina West; 2 - Jude Mohammad; 1 - Caroline Hester
4V8+: C - Mia Saracino; 8 - Britany Hansten; 7 - Temitope Ibironke; 6 - Samantha Manoloff; 5 - Nell Stevens; 4 - Tianyi Shen; 3 - Meg Behe; 2 - Mallika John; 1 - Derin Timucin
