Bates women’s rowing’s second varsity eight concluded an undefeated season with a victory in the grand final of the second varsity eights on Saturday at the NCAA Championships to earn Bobcat of the Week honors for the week of May 26 to June 1.
Rowing at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis, the Bobcat crew won the event with a time of 7:18.967, 10.449 seconds ahead of runner-up Trinity which crossed the finish in 7:29.416. The second varsity eight claimed the program’s first gold medal in a grand final at the NCAA Championships.
The boat advanced directly to the grand final after winning its heat the day before. The Bobcats posted a time of 6:55.506 in the race, almost 15 seconds ahead of second-place Williams which finished in 7:10.459.
With its victory in the grand final, the W2V8 accumulated 12 points helping Bates total 33 points as a team after the first varsity eight’s fourth-place finish in its grand final. The Bobcats tied Williams with 33 points but took third place as a team due to the Ephs’ higher finish in the first varsity eight grand final.
Second Varsity Eight Lineup:
Bow: Rachel Ellis '14 (Snohomish, Wash.), 2: Eliza Barkan '15 (Seattle, Wash.), 3: Savannah Stockly '17 (Cumberland, Maine), 4: Rebecca O'Neill '15 (Westminster, Vt.), 5: Mallory Ward '15 (Pittsford, N.Y.), 6: Taylor Kniffin '14 (Stamford, Conn.), 7: Alison Simmons '16 (Indiana, Pa.), Stroke: Molly Pritz '17 (Ithaca, N.Y.), Cox: Molly Huffaker '14 (Ithaca, N.Y.).
