May 6 , 2007

WHITNEY POINT, N.Y.—The William Smith crew team's varsity eight captured the gold medal at the New York State Championships this morning. The Herons earned their first state title in that event since 2000.

"The 1V went out with the goal of grabbing an open-water win over Ithaca," Head Coach Sandra Chu said. "They raced with a lot of composure in less than ideal conditions. Everyone who's seen this boat race recently is blown away by their confidence and ability to execute under pressure. Today was no exception and we're looking forward to another great weekend of racing at ECACs."

The gold medal-winning William Smith varsity eight

Ranked second in the nation, the William Smith varsity eight was the only crew to cross the finish line in under seven minutes. Kenzie Cannon, Hannah Gallup, Nicole Balsamo, Anne Wakeman, Lauren Brady, Lucinda Keck, Kerry O’Neill, Jenn Kirst, and Michelle Dodge covered the 2,000-meter course in 6 minutes, 56.5 seconds. Ithaca was second, 6.1 seconds back, followed by Skidmore, RIT, Rochester, and Army.

The state title is the Herons' sixth in the varsity eight, tying the Bombers for the most all-time.

William Smith's novice eight also raced in its grand final today. The Herons were sixth in a time of 7:39.8. St. Lawrence won the event in 7:14.7.

William Smith is back on the water of Whitney Point Lake on May 12-13 in the ECAC Rowing Championships.

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