SARASOTA, Fla. -- 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.
Bates scored the maximum 42 points with both the first varsity eight and second varsity eight winning their respective grand finals.
The second varsity eight got the day started on the right foot, winning a remarkable seventh straight gold medal at NCAAs. Led by senior coxswain
Elise Grossfeld (Bethesda, Md.) and sophomore stroke
Casey Winter (Malvern, Pa.), the Bobcats raced to the finish Saturday in 6:48.503. A tough crew from Hamilton hung with Bates but ended up finishing second in 6:54.311. The Bates 2V had raced Hamilton three times previously this year, finishing behind the Continentals twice before a dominating win in Friday's heat. Fellow NESCAC crew Wesleyan placed third behind Bates and Hamilton in 6:56.947 and Ithaca College finished fourth in 6:58.963.
Then 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.
"About three strokes in I knew we were in for it," Folsom said. "We were all expecting a really good race. We executed our plan like we wanted to and it worked out. It was a little scary at points but it turned out fine!"
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.
The 2021 NCAA championship for Bates women's rowing comes after the 2020 NCAAs were canceled due to the pandemic. The Bobcats initially weren't expecting to have a season this year.
"Honestly until we were sitting at the starting line for the first heat, it all seemed unreal to me," senior captain
Saylor Strugar (Boulder, Colo.) said. "This team has made it so easy to train even with all the uncertainty because I know the person next to me is trying their hardest."
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.
"I'm honored to be a part of it," senior captain
Hannah Beams (Mattapoisett, Mass.) said. "It means that I've gotten the chance to be with these amazing women for the last four years. I remember hearing all the stories when I first got to Bates and I still can't believe I am part of this program."
This marks the 30th national championship won by Bates College individuals or teams in the school's history.
Bates WV8 lineup: Bow:
Saylor Strugar; 2:
Catharine Berry-Toon; 3:
Lillian Kinder; 4:
Elizabeth Fischer; 5:
Hannah Beams ; 6:
Sally Harris Porter; 7:
Carla Guichard; Stroke:
Grace Bake; c:
Elizabeth Folsom
Bates W2V8 lineup: Bow:
Kathleen King; 2:
Elizabeth Fairman; 3:
Rosie Crawford; 4:
Molly Connors; 5:
Eliana Weissmann; 6:
Margaret Horvat; 7:
Emma York; Stroke:
Casey Winter; c:
Elise Grossfeld
Alternate: Alexa Bowerfind
Alternate: Maeve Mikulski
Alternate Cox: Isabella Sobolewski
Gallery: (5-29-2021) Women's Rowing, 2021 NCAAs (Justin Tafoya/NCAA Photos)
