Smith won three of four races and tallied 42 points to claim the 2024 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Rowing Championship Saturday morning at Lake Quinsigamond.
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WORCESTER – Smith won three of four races and tallied 42 points to claim the 2024 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Rowing Championship Saturday morning at Lake Quinsigamond. Smith edged WPI by a single point to claim its 10th overall team championship and earn the NEWMAC’s automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division III Championship at East Fork/Harsha Lake on Bethel, OH on May 31st and June 1st. It will be the Pioneers first appearance at the NCAA Championships in 14 years.
WPI (7:09.70) led wire-to-wire in the varsity eight en route to winning the V8 for just the second time in program history and first time since 2019. Smith (7:11.38) surged ahead of Wellesley (7:11.84) over the final 250 meters to take second. The 0.46 margin of victory proved to be the difference in determining the conference’s automatic qualifier, which is comprised of the varsity eight and the second varsity eight. Coast Guard (7:17.66) was fourth followed up Clark (7:27.54), Mount Holyoke (7:38.51) and Simmons (8:17.49).
In the second varsity eight, Wellesley jumped out to a quick lead but Smith (7:24.40) took it to another gear just past the Donahue Rowing Center to reach the finish line over second ahead of the Blue (7:31.74). WPI (7:37.65) broke away late from Coast Guard (7:37.65) to take third while Clark (7:48.43) was fifth and Mount Holyoke sixth (8:01.18).
Smith also won the final two races of the morning. In the third varsity eight, the Pioneers (7:36.42) reached the final buoys ahead of Wellesley (7:40.20), WPI (7:52.7), Coast Guard (7:57.16) and Clark (8:40.78) while in the fourth varsity eight the Pioneers reached Regatta Point in 7:46.0 followed by Wellesley (7:55.91) and Coast Guard (8:11.41).
The Pioneers also took the Florence Jope Smith Cup, awarded annually to the school with the highest number of points from the overall results at the event. Smith, which won for the ninth time and first time since 2010, finished first with 40 points followed by Wellesley with 32 points and WPI with 20. Coast Guard (20), Clark (12), Mount Holyoke (6), and Simmons (2) rounded out the final standings.
Smith’s Linnea Schultz (Woodinville, Wash./Woodinville) was voted as the conference’s Rower of the Year while teammate Sofia Trotta (Guilford, Conn./The Gunnery) and WPI’s Emily Howard shared Coxswain of the Year accolades.
Joining Schultz, Trotta and Howard on the All-Conference first team were WPI’s Maggie Kirwan, Jules Prisco, Megan Tupaj, Anya Hanitchak, Kaylee Liu of Wellesley and Megan Holm (Flagstaff, AZ/BASIS Flagstaff) and Anna Boden (Seattle, WA/Holy Names Academy) of Smith.
Up Next
Smith turns their attention to next week’s New England Championships, which is Saturday, May 4 on Lake Quinsigamond.
Varsity Eight
1. WPI – 7:09.70
2. Smith – 7:11.38
3. Wellesley – 7:11.84
4. Coast Guard – 7:17.66
5. Clark – 7:27.54
6. Mount Holyoke – 7:38.51
7. Simmons – 8:17.49
Second Varsity Eight
1. Smith – 7:24.40
2. Wellesley – 7:31.74
3. WPI – 7:35.48
4. Coast Guard – 7:37.65
5. Clark – 7:48.43
6. Mount Holyoke – 8:01.18
Third Varsity Eight
1. Smith – 7:36.42
2. Wellesley – 7:40.20
3. WPI – 7:52.7
4. Coast Guard – 7:57.16
5. Clark – 8:40.78
Fourth Varsity Eight
1. Smith – 7:46.0
2. Wellesley – 7:55.91
3. Coast Guard – 8:11.41
NEWMAC Championship AQ Standings
1. Smith – 42
2. WPI – 41
3. Wellesley – 37
4. Coast Guard – 30
5. Clark – 25
6. Mount Holyoke – 20
7. Simmons – 15
Florence Jope Smith Cup Standings
1. Smith – 40
2. Wellesley – 32
3. WPI – 28
4. Coast Guard – 20
5. Clark – 12
6. Mount Holyoke – 6
7. Simmons – 2
About Smith Athletics: Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log on to smithpioneers.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
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