WEST WINDSOR, N.J. -- The first varsity eight earned a bronze medal and the Bates women's rowing team took fourth place out of eight schools in their return to the NCAA Championships Saturday at Mercer Lake, wrapping up a strong season for the Bobcats. 

Bates scored 44 points as a team, well-ahead of fifth-place Ithaca (34 points) and just one point behind third-place Wesleyan. Tufts won both races to successfully defend their national title and Williams finished second with 49 points.

Led by first-year coxswain Hannah Herbst (Larkspur, Calif.) and senior captain stroke seat Hannah Burdick (Lyme, N.H.), the Bobcats earned the 13th medal in the first varsity eight race at NCAAs in the history of the Bates women's rowing program with their time of 6:40.562 in Saturday's grand final, good for third place out of six crews and 34 points. Bates was slightly behind Wesleyan at the 1500-meter mark before surging ahead down the stretch to outrace the Cardinals by nearly three seconds, as Wesleyan placed fourth in 6:43.292. The Ephs of Williams College held off the Bobcats to earn a silver medal in 6:39.214 while Tufts took gold with a time of 6:37.686. 

"The women had a really good showing at the NCAA championships and we are very pleased with the results," head coach Peter Steenstra said. "The first varsity eight really had a tight race and clearly made some big improvements in the last two weeks to put themselves in contention for that top spot."

Earlier in the morning, the Bates second varsity eight took fourth in their grand final with a time of 6:54.407, earning 10 points for Bates. The crew, led by first-year coxswain Leah Brody (Larchmont, N.Y.) and senior captain stroke seat Rylee Eaton (Little Deer Isle, Maine) barely missed a spot on the podium, as Wesleyan finished second in 6:53.129 and Williams third in 6:53.767. 

"The second varsity eight turned in an unbelievable fight and were ahead of Wesleyan for third place going into that last thousand meters," Steenstra said. "Due to their lane position, they encountered some chop but had no benefit of a tailwind over the last 500. I could not be more proud of their performance." 

The Bobcats' fourth-place showing overall matches their finish in the points standings from two years ago. This marks the 16th time in the 17 years Bates has qualified for NCAAs that they've finished in the top four in the country as a team. 

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