WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – The Wesleyan women's crew team saw the varsity 8 claim fourth place while the 2
nd varsity 8 landed a runner-up finish in their respective grand finals, as the Cardinals accumulated 45 team points to take third place in team scoring at the NCAA Division III Championships on Mercer Lake on Saturday morning. The 2V8's second place showing is the best finish for a Wesleyan 2V8 boat at the NCAA Championships in team history.
Having to start nearly three hours earlier than previously scheduled due to inclement weather in the area, the Cardinals' 2V8 set the tone with a resounding performance in the first grand final on the day. The Cardinals sat in fourth place at the midway point of the 2000m race, trailing Tufts, Williams and Bates, but made up some ground with a sub-1:44 split to head into the final 500m in third place. With Tufts far out in front, Wesleyan set their sights on Williams and stormed past the Ephs, besting their Little Three rivals by more than one full second in the final 500m split. In the end, the Cardinals came back to land a second place finish with a final time of 6:53.129, which was just over half a second better than Williams (6:53.767) while the Jumbos won the 2V8 grand final by nearly six seconds.
In the second grand final of the morning, the V8 had a strong start to the race, sitting in second place at the midway point. Locked in a battle with Williams and Bates for positions 2-4, as all three trailed Tufts by a significant margin, the Cardinals ended up in fourth place as Williams and Bates pulled away over the final 500m. Wesleyan clocked in at 6:43.292 to finish ahead of Ithaca and St. Mary's (Md.).
This signals another strong showing at the NCAA Championships for the Cardinals who have now finished 2
nd, 2
nd, and 3
rd in team scoring over the past three seasons. The senior class graduates having led the team to their best three-year run in team history, as the second place showings are a team record at the NCAA Championships.
Boat Lineups:
Varsity 8 –
Ava Olson '25 (coxswain),
Ruby Roberts '27,
Em Moran '26,
Alexandra Stanislaw '25,
Hailey Hutchison '27,
Cadence Cole '26,
Clara Preisig '25,
Nora Printy '26, and
Sydney Romer '28
2nd Varsity 8 –
Aria Trotta '27 (coxswain),
Julia Lissack '27,
Peyton Fern '25,
Greta Armbrust '25,
Annabelle Miller '25,
Sylvia Jenkins '28,
Alex Kuo '26,
Aleah Hurwitz '25, and
Kaitlin Browne '28