SARASOTA, Fla. – After an exceptional first day of racing at the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships on Friday, the Wesleyan University women's crew team competed in a pair of grand final events on Saturday morning at the Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla.

The Cardinals finished in fifth overall out of eight Division III teams with a team score of 38, while Bates claimed first-place honors with 56 points.

RACE HIGHLIGHTS:

• During the Division III-II Eights Grand Final, the Cardinals came in fourth place out of six boats with a time of 7:08.352, clearing fifth-place WPI by 4.569 seconds. Wesleyan's boat was comprised of Nicole Rizzuto '20, Emma Porrazzo '19, Hannah Xu '20, Nicole Gershberg '18, Josie Catalano '21, Sofia Headley '21, Eleanor Highleyman '19, Jemma Blazina '20 and Monica Rao '19.
• The Cardinals relied on their lineup of Rachael Crunkleton '20, Sarah Osborn '19, Clara Babbott-Ward '20, Lydia Paddock '21, Sonja Welch '20, Sophia Shoulson '18, Allison Quintana '19, Amanda Molitor '18 and Rachelle Flowers '19 during the highly-competitive Division III-I Eights Grand Final, as the group posted a fifth-place nod out of six teams with a time of 6:56.695.
• In both races, Bates emerged victorious, crossing the finish line in a time of 6:40.713 in the Division III-I Eights and 6:52.037 in the Division III-II Eights competition.