April 18, 2009

Smith College Wins NEWMAC Title and Florence Jope Smith Cup

Worcester, MA --- Smith College captured the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women's Rowing Championship on Saturday morning at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, MA. The Pioneers' varsity eight took home the title with a first place time of 7:07.60.

In the six-boat race, Smith defeated second place Wellesley College (7:13.97) by just over six seconds to secure the victory. Mount Holyoke College placed third (7:14.44); Coast Guard Academy took fourth (7:19.76); WPI was fifth (7:24.82), and Clark University finished sixth (8:10.16).

A margin of only eight points separated the 1-2-3 finishers for the Florence Jope Smith Cup, awarded to the team with the highest number of points in the overall competition. Smith recaptured the Cup after a two-year absence and won it for the seventh time overall. The Pioneers also took first in the novice eight (7:28.30) and the second varsity eight (7:22.58). Wellesley took home first place in the third varsity eight (7:32.80) and finished second in the second varsity eight by a mere .21 seconds en route to a second place overall finish (24). Mount Holyoke finished third with 22 points.

The 2009 NEWMAC All-Conference women's rowing varsity team was also announced at this year's championships. Clark's Kasia Baca (Acton, MA) and Katy Nowoswiat (Lowell, MA); Coast Guard's Rory Keegan (Dighton, MA) and Sarah Jane Otey (Littleton, CO); Mount Holyoke's Sarah Gray (New Windsor, NY) and Mya Steadman (Pawatuck, CT); Smith's Eliza van Lennep (Rindge, NH) and Katharine von Herrmann (Piedmont, CA); Wellesley's Cori Snedecor (Portola Valley, CA) and Gabby Wakeman (Saratoga Springs, NY); and WPI's Steph Kavrakis (Long Beach, NY) and Katie Siering (Sheridan, OR) all earned the honor.

Amy Saba (Tewksbury, MA) of Clark, Kelli Normoyle (Mt. Laurel, NJ) of Coast Guard, Hannah Blackmer (Northfield, VT) of Mount Holyoke, Robin Spencer (Strafford, VT) of Smith, Conisha Cooper (Glen Ridge, NJ) of Wellesley and Vicky Stutz (Trumbell, CT) of WPI represented their respective institutions on the 2009 All-NEWMAC novice team.

Novice Eight
Smith College (7:28.30) - 8 points
Mount Holyoke College (7:29.30) - 6 points
Coast Guard Academy (7:40.86) - 4 points
Wellesley College (7:58.74) - 2 points

Third Varsity Eight
Wellesley College (7:32.80) - 6 points
Mount Holyoke College (7:50.29) - 4 points
Smith College (7:50.50) - 2 points

Second Varsity Eight
Smith College (7:22.55) - 8 points
Wellesley College (7:22.76) - 6 points
Mount Holyoke College (7:39.48) - 4 points
WPI (8:09.97) - 2 points

Varsity Eight (NEWMAC Championship)
Smith College (7:07.60) - 12 points
Wellesley College (7:13.97) - 10 points
Mount Holyoke College (7:14.44) - 8 points
Coast Guard Academy (7:19.76) - 6 points
WPI (7:24.82) - 4 points
Clark University (8:10.16) - 2 points

Florence Jope Smith Cup
Smith College - 30 points
Wellesley College - 24 points
Mount Holyoke College - 22 points
Coast Guard Academy - 10 points
WPI - 6 points
Clark University - 2 points