WEST WINDSOR, N.J. -- The Bates women's rowing team got the NCAA Championships off to a strong start Friday morning, as both the second and first varsity eights advanced directly to Saturday's grand finals with runner-up finishes in their respective heats.
"Both women's eights put together some good pieces here and challenged some top crews so we're really looking forward to tomorrow's grand final races here at NCAAs," said head coach
Peter Steenstra.
The second varsity eight took to the water bright and early, with their heat getting underway at 8:12 a.m. Racing in lane four, the Bobcats needed a top-two finish in their four-crew heat to advance to the grand final. Led by first-year coxswain
Leah Brody (Larchmont, N.Y.) and senior captain stroke seat
Rylee Eaton (Little Deer Isle, Maine), the Bobcats got the job done, crossing the finish line in 7:08.051. They finished ahead of both Wellesley (7:14.829) and Pacific Lutheran (8:49.984) and behind only Tufts, as the Jumbos won the heat in 7:02.132.
Along with Tufts, Williams, and Wesleyan, the Bobcats advance directly to Saturday's second varsity eight grand final, which gets underway at 8:08 a.m. The Bates second varsity eight has won nine gold medals at NCAAs in program history.
The first varsity eight turned in a tremendous performance in their heat on Friday, going toe-to-toe with defending NCAA Division III champion and No. 1 nationally ranked Tufts. Led by first-year coxswain
Hannah Herbst (Larkspur, Calif.) and senior captain stroke seat
Hannah Burdick (Lyme, N.H.), the Bobcats raced to the finish in 6:51.876.
Bates finished well-ahead of Ithaca (6:58.296) and Pacific Lutheran (7:27.035) in the heat, and the Bobcats made Tufts work very hard to hang on for the win, as the Jumbos took first place by less than a second in 6:51.046.
The Bobcats will aim for the program's fourth gold medal in the first varsity eight race at the NCAA Championships when they race in the grand final Saturday at 8:24 a.m.
If the Bates first and second varsity eights can combine for enough points on Saturday, the Bobcats would win their first NCAA championship since 2021.
Fans can watch the action live on ncaa.com.
Bates WV8 lineup: Bow:
Cal Dagner; 2:
Maggie Gill; 3:
Isabelle Martin; 4:
Greta Oberdiek; 5:
Quinn Gleason; 6:
Olivia Szachta; 7:
Olivia Smith; Stroke:
Hannah Burdick; c:
Hannah Herbst
Bates W2V8 lineup: Bow:
Hannah de Fontaine; 2:
Tatum Holley; 3:
Arden Minor; 4:
Maggie Kornfeind; 5:
Megan O'Donnell; 6:
Mia Senturk; 7:
Elizabeth Gramley; Stroke:
Rylee Eaton; c:
Leah Brody
Alternate: Maddie Kemp
Alternate: Caitlin Regan
Alternate coxswain: Shoshana Levy
