BETHEL, Ohio. (June 1, 2024) — The University of Puget Sound Women's Rowing team captured first place in the petite final, securing a seventh place finish overall at the NCAA Division III Rowing Championships. Competition began on Friday, May 31, that saw wind delays going into the second races of the day and pushing the races late into the afternoon, while the finals took place Saturday morning, June 1, on William H. Harsha Lake at East Fork State Park.
In their first race, the 1V8+ were disappointed by their result, coming in with a time of 7:34.599 against top teams Tufts University, Smith College, and Williams College. Later that afternoon, the Loggers made improvements to earn a spot in the petite final with an impressive time of 7:22.399 against St. Mary's College of Maryland, Ithaca College, and Smith. The Loggers dominated the petite final, taking down St. Mary's in the 2,000-meter course with another improved time of 7:15.054, while St. Mary's finished 3.717 seconds behind.
Coach Dave Hammond spoke highly of his student athletes, their efforts, and their sacrifices which led to their success at nationals, noting the experience was an incredible opportunity and provides the program a chance to continue to build upon this foundation of success.
"I am so proud of this group and everything they have accomplished this year," said Hammond. "We've got a really strong group of seniors that was providing leadership from beginning to end; the whole team worked hard for many months to get where we are and it's nice to be at the end of the season and see that hard work pay off. It's been an incredible journey to get to this point and I'm so proud of this team for earning the best team placement since 2010. It's such a testament to each and every individual on the team - the sacrifice, commitment, dedication to get us to this point. I'm really excited for us to continue with the high bar that they have set for this program and I'm stoked to carry this success into the future."
Assistant Coach Jessica Manginelli also sung praises for her student athletes, nothing that the goal this weekend was to continue to summarize the successes that the program has experienced throughout this year. "Both boats were able to do that," she said, "being able to build and progress throughout the weekend was something that I really wanted to see from them, and I was really proud of the effort from both the 1V and 2V, [as they both] bettered their previous times. There was a lot of great competition this weekend and it was fantastic to see that there will be some tough competition over the next few years."
Reflecting on the successes of this season, Hammond referenced that the team has continued to persevere and grow as they've been called upon to heighten their training regimen. Senior captain Lily Steller shared the sentiment: "Six early-morning water practices a week plus two land practices is grueling, to say the least. Pretty sunrises, great teammates, and a bid to nationals make it all worth it!"
Looking back, Steller is grateful for her time at UPS as a member of Women's Rowing. She has "seen the team grow in size, spirit, and speed. We have navigated some rough waters - both on and off the water, but this year we have really been able to come together to accomplish our goals. 'Bittersweet emotions' does not even begin to describe how I feel about wrapping up my time as a Logger Athlete… It is difficult to put into words the amount of love this team has for each other and this sport. Earning 7th place at the National Championships will be an accomplishment I hope everyone a part of this team carries with them for the rest of their lives. Most importantly, I hope what my teammates carry with them is the relationships and the resiliency we have built."
Lineups:
1V8+
Skylar Reynolds (Coxswain)
Amalina Lambert-Mullen
Claudia Luthy
Sydney Maysmith
Avrie Dreyer
Becca Murphy
Lily Steller
Austyn Smith
Luci Reed
2V8+
Fran Dadulla
Mckenna Kalkbrenner
Maddie Johnson
Violet Baker
Kona Kamaka
Laura Schneidman
Zorah Freiwald
Xiao Miao Atlanksy
Jasmine Whitley
The Logger Women's Rowing team has been undefeated against all conference opponents this year.
Tufts took home the first place trophy, Wesleyan finished second, and Williams finished third overall.
