Nationally ranked No. 10 Hamilton College raced Union College on April 6 and competed against Mount Holyoke College and Tufts University at Tufts on April 7.
The races between Hamilton and Union on the Mohawk River were 2,000 meters in length. The conditions were light to moderate headwinds with a light head current. The winner of the varsity eights claimed the Gilman Plate and the winner of the second varsity eights captured the Gilman Goblet.
Hamilton took home the Gilman Plate for the eighth straight year, winning the varsity eights in a time of 7 minutes, 16 seconds. Hamilton retained the Gilman Goblet for the second consecutive year with a time of 7:27 to Union’s 7:37. Hamilton’s third varsity eight also competed and finished in a time of 7:50. Union took first in the novice eights in 7:39.
In the varsity eight, Kelsey Burke '13 was the coxswain, Keara Fenzel '14 was stroke seat and Rachel Johnson '13 was in the bow. The rest of the boat included (seats seven through two in descending order): Karly Moore '15, Margaret Hylas '15, Caroline Walton '15, Helen Higgins '13, Jess Pedersen '15 and Erin Gerrity '15.
The second varsity eight consisted of coxswain Heather Piekarz '16, Hideko Nara '15 in stroke seat and Ally Kontra '15 was in the bow. Seats seven through two in descending order included: Fiona Hoffman-Harland '13, Emma Zanazzi '15, Annie Lindahl '15, Grace Bowers '15, Keara Lynn ‘16 and Rachel Landman '15.
Hamilton’s third varsity eight included Sydney Cantor '16 as coxswain, Jess Sofen '16 as stroke seat and Meredith Garner '15 in the bow. The rest of the boat consisted of (seats seven through two in descending order): Nina Byers '16, Julia Coash '16, Rachel Feuerstein '16, Hannah Zucker '15, Katie Schramm '16 and Margaret Smith '15.
Lia Parker-Belfer '16 was coxswain for the novice eight. Sofen was stroke seat and Major was in the bow. The rest of the boat included (seats seven through two in descending order): Byers, Coash, Feuerstein, Taylor Healy '15, Laura Rivera '16 and Schramm.
On Sunday, Hamilton won three of the five races in which they competed on the 2,000-meter Malden River course. Racing conditions included a 10-knot tailwind early that built to 20 knots with some white caps on the first and last 500 meters.
Hamilton split its varsity eight races, edging Mount Holyoke (6:48.20) with a time of 6:43.96. Tufts (6:37.87) topped the Continentals (6:47.93) in the other varsity eight race. In the second varsity eights, Hamilton (7:05.72) defeated Mount Holyoke (7:10.57), but fell to Tufts (6:51.83) with a time of 7:15. Hamilton (7:07.53) took first over Tufts (7:10.47) in the only third varsity eights race.
Burke served as coxswain for the varsity eights, while Fenzel was stroke seat and Johnson was in the bow. Seats seven through two in descending order consisted of: Moore, Hylas, Walton, Higgins, Pedersen and Gerrity.
In the second varsity eight, Cantor was the coxswain. Nara was stroke seat and Kontra was in the bow. The rest of the boat included (seats seven through two in descending order): Hoffman-Harland, Zanazzi, Lindahl, Bowers, Lynn and Landman.
Piekarz was coxswain for the third varsity eight. Sofen was in the stroke seat and Garner was in the bow. Seats seven through two in descending order included: Byers, Coash, Feuerstein, Zucker, Schramm and Smith.
Hamilton hosts the University of Rochester and William Smith College on Saturday, April 13.
