News
Simmons College Crew is Golden at ECAC Regatta
Date Posted: Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Posting Categories: Athletics News;Crew
Simmons College Crew is Golden at ECAC Regatta
Novice 8 and Varsity 4 dominate competition in Worcester.
The Simmons College Novice 8 and Varsity 4 took to the waters of Lake Quinsigamond on May 11 to compete in the final regatta of the season, the National Invitational Rowing Championships (NIRC), hosted by the ECAC.
Both crews took home the Gold in the Grand Finals of their events, with the Varsity 4 capturing the Rachel Engleberth cup. "It was an outstanding performance," said Head Coach Nikolay Kurmakov of his team's accomplishments. The two gold medal crews are a first in the Simmons Crew program's history. "To have both the novices and varsity achieve this together was a great experience for everyone," said Novice Coach Naomi Rudov.
The morning heats set the tone for the Sharks. Racing in a firm tailwind, the top-seeded Novice 8 won their heat in 7:09.55, followed by Smith College (7:20.01) and Mount Holyoke (7:24.37), to advance to the Grand Final. Advancing from the second heat were Ithaca (7:13.08), Wellesley (7:13.14) and Holy Cross (7:17.92).
The afternoon Grand Final saw the Simmons Novice 8 lead from wire to wire in a strong headwind to win the race. Their time was 7:38.07. Following the Sharks, Wellesley came in 2nd in 7:42.14, and Ithaca was 3rd in 7:47.67. "Ithaca and Wellesley really rowed their best and served as our greatest competition," said Sara Keyser. "It was a tight race, but our sprinting move gave us the extra edge we needed to stay in front through the finish."
The Novice 8 collected their Gold medals and tossed in coxswain Amanda Milad at the medals dock. Completing the Novice 8 lineup was Sarah Rockwell (8), Amanda DeRosa (7), Moira Quinn (6), Katherine Riley (5), Keyser (4), Julia Burns (3), Melissa DeRosa (2), and Shannon Armstrong (1).
The Varsity 4, also top-seeded, dominated their heat, winning in a time of 7:39.57, several lengths ahead of Middlebury (7:53.03) and Amherst College (7:55.40), to advance to the Grand Final. Advancing from Heat 2 were Connecticut College (7:50.96), Coast Guard (7:56.01), and WPI (7:58.24).
The Varsity adapted well to the changing wind for the afternoon final, this time a headwind, to sprint to a winning time of 7:56.22, ahead of 2nd place WPI (8:05.32) and 3rd place Connecticut College (8:15.95). The lineup of the Varsity 4 is Nicole Gallant (cox), Whitney Airgood (4), Elizabeth Schwarz (3), Jennifer DuBois (3), and Nicole Richards (1).
Following these top athletic performances, the coaching staff and roster is looking forward to taking the team to new heights in the next couple of years. "I am happy and proud to coach a team who won the National Championships regatta for the first time in Simmons Crew History," said Kurmakov. "These medals are the result of very hard work for the past few years," and the results will be a solid platform to build from.
This was the final race for graduating seniors and tri-captains Richards and Airgood. Just a few nights ago, Airgood won the Athlete of the Year award at the Simmons College Athletics Banquet. This final success ensures that both women depart Crew with lofty accomplishments for their younger teammates to aspire to. "Watching them finish boat lengths ahead of the field during the grand finals was amazing," said Rachel Franchi. "It was a well-deserved end to their collegiate rowing careers. They will be missed and remembered as team leaders, friends, and as incredible women athletes."
The end of the season sees the addition of two new captains to guide the team with Franchi, currently a tri-captain alongside Richards and Airgood. Rising sophomore Keyser and rising junior Gallant will step in to take the place of the departing seniors. "Sara and Nicole have shown themselves to be mature, dedicated team leaders. Nik and I can see that their work ethic and love of the team will have a great impact on the program."
