SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – It was a day full of historic performances for the URochester Rowing team at the New York State Collegiate Championships along Fish Creek on Saturday.
 
URochester claimed a win in the petit final of the varsity 8 competition, earned second in the petit final of the 2nd varsity 8 and also secured a victory in the pair and quad sculls competitions.
 
Going into the event the varsity 8 was seeded tenth and the 2nd varsity 8 was ninth in a field that included not only multiple ranked Division III teams but also Division I squads and strong club crews in Army and Vassar. Both Yellowjacket crews responded to the challenge.
 
In the first varsity eight competition, the Yellowjackets qualified for the petit final for the first time in several years with a morning race time of 7:26.89, less than a second behind conference rival Skidmore, ending in fourth place in their heat.
 
In the final they had a strong start and a commanding smooth rhythm through the middle of the race. A solid sprint won the event in a time of 7:30.50, 2.2 seconds over second place D1 Canisius, and open water clear of rivals Skidmore (7:34.66) and Ithaca (7:37.20), with RIT and Army further back.
 
The finish represents the first time UR has defeated perennial Liberty League Champions Ithaca in program history during varsity 8 racing, with the Yellowjackets placing seventh overall of 15 entries.
 
In the 2nd varsity 8 race, URochester ranked third of four teams in their morning heat, rowing a time of 7:52.52, defeating Army by several seconds.
 
Later on in the day, the UR 2V, also racing in the petit final, overcame a rough start to come from behind with an 8:06.16, against Ithaca (8:07.09), Vassar (8:12.84), Army (8:27.74) and St Lawrence (8:43.94) but fell shy of catching Canisius, ending second in the final and eighth overall.
 
The varsity four also qualified for the petit final, finishing 12th overall of 15 entries.
 
URochester also shined in the non-NCAA events. The all first-year lineup of Katelyn Wilmarth (Stroke) Erin Seitzer (3) Quinn Seawright (2) Sophia Fietkiewicz (bow), along with Asha Limaye (Cox), won the women's quadruple sculls 25.2 seconds ahead of Ithaca and 49 seconds ahead of RIT. URochester's time over the course was 9:11.00.
 
Seniors Jinx Allison and Ava Prevey-Sullivan won the women's pair ahead of Long Island University and RIT, outdistancing their opponents by 35 seconds, and 1:23, respectively, finishing with a time of 10:34.07.
 
Senior Lillian Zullow finished second of three entries in the single (12:35.94), while the novice 4 of Marin Ievers (Stroke), Kelsie McConnell (3), Alivia Sochia (2) Lubna Shah (bow) and Ella Peddicord (cox) finished third behind LIU and Hamilton. UR's time in that event was 10:48.53.
 
The strong showing by the team should have the Yellowjackets positioned well going into the Liberty League Championships in two weeks, likely ranking as the #2 seed behind William Smith, who was the only Liberty league team to make the A finals in the 1V and 2V races on Saturday.
 
"I couldn't be more proud of our crews today," said Interim Director of Rowing Ethan Curran. "This is the first time many of these athletes have raced against this level of competition and come away victorious. Both crews showed courage and determination against a really stacked field. Every boat placed higher than their pre-race seeding."
 
URochester takes on two Liberty League opponents next weekend on its home course along the Genesee River, with RIT and St. Lawrence battling the Yellowjackets in racing set for April 26.
 
Lineups:
1V – Mykaila Meunier, Allison, Kennedy Leininger, Sophie Weissman, Prevey-Sullivan, Julia Tricomi, Seitzer, Seawright, Fietkiewicz.
2V – Limaye, Katelyn Wilmarth, Sabrina Butori Valdivia, Ievers, Rachel Ruminer, Devyn LaRue, Hayes Keith, Zullow, Leah Gillette.
V4 – Peddicord, Sochia, Natalie Dundas, Jessica Zheng, McConnell.
Pair – Allison, Prevey-Sullivan.
N4 – Peddicord, Ievers, McConnell, Sochia, Lubna Shah.
Quad – Limaye, Wilmarth, Seitzer, Seawright, Fietkiewicz.
Single – Zullow.