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The No. 6 nationally ranked Wesleyan women’s crew team has started their first “normal” season since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic very strong. This spring, the Cardinals appear to be having an even more adaptable and gritty program.
The Cardinals opened with a victory over Coast Guard Academy on Saturday, March 26. Although Coast Guard came in first in the varsity 4, both varsity 8 boats clinched first place for the Cardinals. The Cardinals 2V8 boat (Ava Olson ’25, Elizabeth Myers ’23, Shelagh Coombs ’24, Emilia Byrne ’24, Elise McCamant ’24, Greta Armbrust ’25, Peyton Fern ’25, Eliza Parker ’25, and Meg Bigelow ’24) dominated with a 15+ second victory, clocking in at 6:48.3, while Coast Guard finished with a time of 7:03.6. Wesleyan’s V8 boat (Noa Pesner ’24, Jordan Craig ’23, Anna Merrifield ’24, Elizabeth Rowe ’23, Meg Alberding ’23, Anne Horton ’24, Celia D’Amato ’22, Shayna McCarthy ’24, and Avery Kelly ’23) also won, crossing the line in 6:39.6 to defeat Coast Guard, who finished with a time of 6:46.4.
According to co-captain Emily Coombs ’22, the women’s crew team has only continued to surprise themselves this season.
“After placing fourth at NCAAs last spring, we had high expectations for this fall and spring season,” Coombs said. “We have gone through a lot of unexpected changes and transitions this year, though, and nobody knew what to expect coming into the spring. The team as a whole has shown an incredible, competitive drive to be the best that we can be each day in practice and translate that on race day.”
The Cardinals demonstrated this tenacity and hunger again at the Jennifer McLaughlin Cup, held on Saturday, April 2, where Wesleyan won the cup title for the fourth time in their last five appearances at the annual meet. The V8 boat topped Worcester Polytechnic Institute, who was then ranked No. 3 nationally, as well as Smith College and Colby with a time of 6:57.7.
However, at the next two regattas, the Cardinals did not find the same success. On Saturday, April 9, the Red and Black finished in fourth against Wellesley College, Bates, and host Tufts. The Cardinals also lost to Williams College at the Little Three Regatta on Saturday, April 16. Although Wesleyan won in the 2V8, the Ephs won the day by a narrow margin of just four seconds in the varsity 8. Williams finished in 7:00 with the Cardinals closely behind, crossing the line in 7:04.
Despite the loss, Coombs was pleased with her team’s performance. Even when faced with the pressure of the meet and the skill of their competition, women’s crew took a fearless approach.
“We went into the Little 3 Regatta with the attitude that we had nothing to lose,” Coombs said. “Williams is ranked really high right now and has had an impressive season. So, our goal was to beat them or come as close to beating them as possible. I am super proud of the racing that was done at Little 3. I think it was some of our best racing of the season, and we proved how competitive of a team we are.”
Heading into the final weeks of her senior season, Coombs looks forward to kicking off championship racing this weekend.
“Each day we unlock new potential on the water, and I am excited to see how far we can push ourselves with higher-stakes racing,” Coombs said. “It is always fun to race against five other boats in one race, rather than just one or two, and I think our team can excel in a situation like that.”
However, the spring season has not been all smooth sailing for the Cardinals. According to Craig, season-ending injuries left women’s crew smaller than it has ever been. Coombs added that despite such adversity, they were able to overcome these challenges because of the team’s strong roster and ability to adapt.
“A lot of younger rowers have had to step up athletically, and they have all done so with such grace and dedication, which speaks a lot to the depth of our team,” Coombs said.
Craig agreed with her captain, stating that these setbacks have made the Cardinals a stronger and more resilient team. With the most important regattas of the season coming up, women’s crew might be peaking at the perfect moment.
“I feel like we are finally starting to come together and learning to make the best of our situation,” Craig said. “And just in time for championship racing in the coming weeks, which makes me really excited to see what we can do.”
Women’s crew will race in the New England Championship Regatta this weekend on Saturday, April 30 in Worcester, MA.
Grace Kohn can be reached at gkohn@wesleyan.edu.