April 14, 2007

LEWISBURG, Pa.—The William Smith College crew team put forth a strong showing at Division I Bucknell today, on flat water in a screaming tail current.

The William Smith varsity eight finished strong against Bucknell.

“While our results are losses, we achieved what we set out to do, which was to face faster competition and test out a change in our race plans, said Head Coach Sandra Chu. “All three crews showed improvements over last week’s racing, with the first varsity eight showing the best gain in overall speed. Our crews were all incredibly sharp from a technique standpoint. You could see their focus in how they executed their race plan, which was our major goal for the weekend.”

The first varsity eight finished just 12.61 seconds behind powerhouse Bucknell. The Herons’ varsity eight was manned by Kenzie Cannon, Hannah Gallup, Nicole Balsamo, Anne Wakeman, Lauren Brady, Christa Hibbard, Kerry O’Neill, Jennifer Kirst, and Michelle Dodge.

William Smith’s second varsity eight finished between the Bisons’ second and third varsity eights with a time of 6:45.50, while the novice eight came in 2.71 seconds behind Bucknell.

“The novices had the smallest margin against our competitors in the tightest race, and proved how much composure they could have,” said Chu. “I was very impressed with how this young crew could battle all the way down the course. The team as a whole showed it is not satisfied with its speed yet and is hungry for more.”

The Herons will return to the water on April 21 when they travel to Skidmore. Racing is set to begin at 1 p.m.

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