WORCESTER -- Wellesley College reclaimed the NEWMAC Rowing Championship and earned the conference's automatic qualifier to the 2025 NCAA Division III Championship with a strong showing at the Donahue Rowing Center on Lake Quinsigamond.
 
The Blue captured the marquee varsity eight race in 7:42.700 to highlight a day that saw them earn 43 points in the championship standings. Wellesley also claimed a share of the Florence Jope Smith Cup, awarded annually to the team with the most overall points across all races, tying with Smith College with 36 points apiece.
 
Wellesley set the tone early, by winning the first varsity eight race, edging WPI (7:49.806) by 7.106 seconds. Coast Guard (7:50.266) finished just behind WPI to round out the top three, while Smith (7:53.994) was close behind in fourth. Clark, Mount Holyoke, and Simmons completed the field.
 
Smith shined across the day's other events, sweeping the second, third, and fourth varsity eight races. In the second varsity eight (W2V8), Smith (7:58.100) pulled away from the field, finishing nearly 17 seconds ahead of Wellesley (8:15.043) and over 25 seconds ahead of WPI (8:23.611). Smith continued its dominance by winning the third varsity eight (W3V8) in 8:30.690 and the fourth varsity eight (W4V8) in 8:54.300.
 
In the final conference championship standings, WPI finished second with 38 points, followed by Smith with 36 and Coast Guard with 33. Clark (23), Mount Holyoke (22), and Simmons (15) rounded out the table.
 
Coast Guard's Elise Beauchemin (Newbury, NH) was named Coxswain of the Year, while teammate Katharine Morgan (Glenside, PA) earned Rower of the Year honors. They were joined on the All-NEWMAC First Team by fellow Bear Martha Enestvedt (St. Paul, MN), Wellesley's Bronnie Bailey (Virginia Beach, VA), Hannah Bates (Fair Haven, NJ), and Lucy Weil (Washington, DC), along with WPI's Maggie Kirwan (Wolfeboro, NH), Victoria Serrambana (Glastonbury, CT), and Megan Tupaj (Amherst, NH).
 
The All-NEWMAC Second Team featured Danielle Chace (Clark; Scotts Valley, CA), Lucy Powdermaker (Clark; Newton Center, MA), Lilla Carroll (Mount Holyoke; Birmingham, AL), Katrina Holbrook (Mount Holyoke; St. Paul, MN), Michaline Becknell (Simmons; Arlington, VA), Ivy Maynard (Simmons; Glastonbury, CT), Kathleen Bacigalupi (Smith; St. Paul, MN), Greta Stekl (Smith; Amherst, MA), and Kate Lindsay (WPI; Ashford, CT).
 
Wellesley will now look ahead to the NCAA Division III Championships, set for May 30-31 at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, NJ while next weekend all schools will compete Saturday in the New England Championships back on Lake Quinsigamond.
 
Varsity Eight Results
1. Wellesley - 7:42.700
2. WPI - 7:49.806
3. Coast Guard - 7:50.266
4. Smith - 7:53.994
5. Clark - 8:10.346
6. Mount Holyoke - 8:48.647
7. Simmons - 9:05.346
 
Second Varsity Eight Results
1. Smith - 7:58.100
2. Wellesley - 8:15.043  
3. WPI - 8:23.611
4. Coast Guard - 8:29.785
5. Mount Holyoke - 8:31.993
6. Clark - 8:40.949
 
Third Varsity Eight Results
1. Smith - 8:30.690        
2. Wellesley - 8:42.025
3. WPI - 8:48.905
4. Coast Guard - 9:23.249
5. Mount Holyoke - 10:07.502
 
Fourth Varsity Eight Results
1. Smith - 8:54.300
2. Wellesley - 9:03.428
3. Coast Guard - 9:41.654
 
NEWMAC Championship AQ Standings
1. Wellesley - 43
2. WPI - 38
3. Smith - 36
4. Coast Guard - 33
5. Clark - 23
6. Mount Holyoke - 22
7. Simmons - 15
 
Florance Jope Smith Cup Standings
T-1. Smith - 36
T-1. Wellesley - 36
T-3. WPI - 24
T-3. Coast Guard - 24
5. Mount Holyoke - 10
6. Clark - 8
7. Simmons - 2

WPI Boatings
 
Varsity Eight
Kate Lindsay (Ashford, CT) - coxswain
Jules Prisco (Pelham, NY)
Kathryn Woodland (Boxford, MA)
Maggie Kirwan (Wolfeboro, NH)
Megan Tupaj (Amherst, NH)
Nicole Miller (Hanover, MA)
Charlotte Bourne (Northampton, MA)
Victoria Serrambana (Glastonbury, CT)
Madison Gass (Barrington, NH)
 
Second Varsity Eight
Jaya Mills (Wayland, MA) - coxswain
Ryan Dillon (Rutland, MA)
Sunny Kang (Brookline, MA)
Sofia Eckerson (Derry, NH)
Ilyssa Delizo (New City, NY)
Miriam Freedman (San Francisco, CA)
Naomi Fink (Eagan, MN)
Corinne White (Washington, DC)
Madeleine Ruley (Manchester Center, VT)
 
Third Varsity Eight
Mary Tomaszewski (Lakeville, MA) - coxswain
Maddy Lang (Kent, CT)
Jonell English (North Providence, RI)
Preslie Jerebker (Denver, CO)
Isabelle Wilson (Catonsville, MD)
Bella Raduazo (Bedford, NH)
Sarah Levine (Lansing, NY)
Keira Schoolcraft (Woodbridge, VA)
Savannah Curtis (Andover, MA)
Anna Sychevsky (Windham, NH)

Results