Statesmen and Herons Post Strong Seasons
17 May 2019 Statesmen and Herons Post Strong Seasons
At the National Invitational Rowing Championship on Sunday, the Hobart Statesmen secured three gold medals and an automatic bid to the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships in Sacramento, Calif. while the William Smith Herons posted a top 10 finish, marking the end of a strong season.
The Hobart rowing team swept all three major championships at the weekends invitational, adding three more medals to the Statesmens count of 21 medaling finishes at the NIRC regatta since 2013; ten gold, seven silver, and four bronze.
Competing against the likes of Boston College and Michigan, the Statesmen No. 18 third varsity eight repeated its gold medal performance from last season. The No. 19 second varsity eight and the No. 22 varsity eight brought home gold medals in their respective events.
Weve spent the last 364 days building towards todays performance, said Head CoachPaul Bugenhagen. To win one championship is hard enough, but to win all three major championships is a truly incredible accomplishment for all the men and women on the team.
The varsity eights performance was followed up by earning the Liberty League Boat of the Week award for the second straight week. The Statesmen will head to Sacramento to compete in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships on May 31.
For the William Smith rowing team, all boats raced their final regatta, concluding an overall impressive season. The varsity four were first on the water, progressing to the grand final after finishing second in the morning heat. Powered by Hannah Baron 19, Annika Linden20, Tatiana Loftus 19, Madelaine Hamilton 19 and Hannah Bilton 22, the varsity four posted a sixth place finish in the final.
The Herons varsity eight progressed to the third level final and put together a strong race, crossing the line third and securing a ninth overall finish at the invitational. The varsity eight were ranked ninth in the nation in the latest coaches poll, and took silver at the Liberty League Championship earlier this month.
This has been a great season for the varsity eight, Chu said. Every step of the way, they have kept reaching for a little more and have never sat on their laurels or backed down from the opportunities to improve and excel.
The invitational marked a career-end for several seniors on the team, including Baron, Hamilton, Loftus, Lizzy Houston 19, Katie Frohman 19 and Tori Wissa 19.