The Bates women's rowing team won a fourth straight NCAA championship with a terrific performance in the grand finals Saturday morning at Nathan Benderson Park.
The first varsity eight came from behind in an exciting grand final, winning in 6:34.872 to complete an undefeated season. Led by senior coxswain Elizabeth Folsom (San Mateo, Calif.) and senior stroke Grace Bake (London, England), the Bates 1V won its third consecutive gold medal at NCAAs. For the first 1,000 meters, a fast Ithaca crew held a slight edge over the Bobcats but Bates grabbed the lead for good at the 1500-meter mark. The Bombers placed second in the grand final with a time of 6:37.730.
Hamilton's 1V placed third in 6:41.058 but the Continentals' combined point total of 34 points was good enough for second place overall in the field, edging Ithaca by one point for NCAA runner-up honors. Wesleyan placed fourth in the 1V grand final (6:43.602) and fourth overall as well with 29 points.
Bates won the 2017, 2018 and 2019 NCAA championships, with the first varsity eight making history in Sarasota in 2018, earning its first gold medal on the national stage. The 1V has now added two more to its collection. From 2009-2013, the Bobcat women finished second to Williams at NCAAs each year before Bates broke through with the program's first national championship in 2015. The Bobcats have now won five of the last six NCAA titles, finishing second in 2016 to Wellesley.
This year's senior class won a national championship every year they got a chance to, joining the class of 2020 as the only classes to do so.
