May 14, 2006

WORCESTER, Mass.—The William Smith crew team competed in the ECAC Championships on Lake Quinsigamond this weekend. The second varsity eight turned in the top Heron finish, placing fourth in the grand final.

The second varsity eight of Julie Kozarsky, Kathryn Priest, Jess Wojslaw, Lucinda Keck, Susan K. Tarrant, Anne Wakeman, Emily Maguire, Alexandra Bowers, and Michelle Dodge finished second in its qualifying heat behind Williams, but ahead of Ithaca, Holy Cross, Mary Washington, and Wellesley. William Smith placed fourth in the thrilling grand final. The Herons covered the 2,000-meter course in 7:05.25, just a shade over three seconds away from a medal. If that wasn't close enough, the margin between William Smith and sixth place New Hampshire was just two tenths of a second.

In the varsity eight event, the Herons began racing on Saturday evening. Fighting adverse weather conditions, William Smith finished third in its heat in a time of 7:01.37 to earn a spot in the semifinals. On Sunday morning, the Herons posted a time of 7:05.072 and earned a spot in the petite final. The varsity eight of Kenzie Cannon, Rebecca Gutwin, Frances Parsons, Hannah Gallup, Jessica Mahon, Jenn Kirst, Nicole Balsamo, Edwina Wilson, and Kerry O'Neill placed sixth in the race (12th overall) in 7:00.816, less than two tenths of a second behind fifth place Holy Cross.

William Smith will celebrate Monday morning and then play "hurry up and wait." The Herons' five seniors (Gutwin, Parsons, Priest, Tarrant, and Wilson) will graduate in a mini-commencement ceremony beginning at 10:30 a.m. in St. John's Chapel. The quintet missed the College's 95th commencement exercises on Sunday.

After graduation, the team will await the NCAA selection committee's work. The championship field (6 teams and two at-large eights) will be selected on Monday and announced on Tuesday. William Smith is second in the latest NCAA regional ranking.

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