No. 6 Blue Crew Battles No. 1 Bates, No. 11 Tufts In Malden River Duals

MEDFORD, Mass. – Matched-up against No. 1 Bates College and No. 11 Tufts University, No. 6 Wellesley College finished the day with three third place finishes in a series of duals on the Malden River.

The Blue, Bobcats, Jumbos, and No. 2 Wesleyan took part in a bracket style competition that saw head-to-head semifinal races in the Varsity 8 (V8+), Second Varsity 8 (2V8+) and the Third Varsity 8 (3V8+). The semifinal winners then faced-off in the next round, with the winners taking part in a final and the semifinal losers headed to a third place match-up. 

Wellesley was paired with Bates in all three semifinals races, with the top-ranked Bobcats earning the advantage in all of the match-ups. The Bates V8+ opened with a 6:53.96 to 7:00.46 victory over the Blue, relegating Wellesley to the third place match-up. In the third place race, the Blue V8+ cruised past Tufts, 7:02.77 to 7:06.75.

Wellesley would go on to earn third place wins over the Jumbos in both the 2V8+ and 3V8+ races. Following a narrow setback in the 2V8 semifinals that saw Wellesley finish in 7:01.06, just behind a time of 6:59.19 from Bates, the Blue topped the Jumbos with an open water time of 7:17.55. Tufts finished in 7:38.61. In the 3V8 competition, Wellesley fell to Bates, 7:08.90 to 7:22.39, before rebounding to defeat Tufts, 7:34.40 to 7:43.16. 

Also on Saturday: In a head-to-head match-up between the Blue and Tufts, Wellesley's Novice 8 came away with a victory, finishing in 7:41.68, ahead of the Tufts' time of 7:44.48. The Wellesley and Bates Fourth Varsity 8 (4V8+) boats also raced heads up, with the Bobcats completing the sweep with a 7:38.66 to 7:47.56 advantage. 

Tomorrow's races scheduled to take place on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass. have been cancelled due to the forecasted weather conditions for the area. Wellesley's next scheduled event is the 2018 New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championships on Saturday, April 28 at 8:00 AM.

Wellesley Lineups:

V8+: C- Sydney Stento; 8 - Emilia Ball; 7- Zoe Cheng; 6 - Frances Dingivan; 5 - Lauren Bazley; 4 - Rhiannon Mulligan; 3- Kelsey Campbell; 2 - Jocelyn Reahl; 1 - Katie Livingston

2V8+: C - Stephanie Kim; 8 - Sloane Rice; 7 - Liz Shumway; 6 - Audrey Ellis; 5 - Faye Washburn; 4 - Mia Caglieris; 3 - Anna Gaskill; 2 - Meg Babikian; 1 - Alyssa Rivera

3V8+: C - Sooji Kang; 8 - Pippa Cronin; 7 - Eve Montie; 6 - Molly Hoyer; 5 - Alanna Uthgennant; 4 - Maria Iannotti; 3 - Allie Collins-Anderson; 2 - Kelsey Gosch; 1 - Emmet Odegaard 

4V8+: C - Alex Klufas; 8 - Olivia Holbrook; 7 - Samantha Hintz; 6 - Katie Gdula; 5 -  Tess Vetter;  4 - Alison Carey; 3 - Anna Taylor; 2 - Marinn Cedillo; 1 - Maria Barrera

N8+: C - Sasha Blachman; 8 - Katie Gdula; 7 - Samantha Hintz; 6 - Marinn Cedillo; 5 -  Tess Vetter; 4 - Carolina Jimenez; 3 - Abby Hau; 2 - Erica Maul; 1- Bea Grauman-Boss