The St. Lawrence University women's crew team posted strong showings at the Head of the Genesee, held on Saturday on the Genesee River in Rochester, NY.  The 1V earned a third place overall finish and was second among Division III schools.   

The race consisted of a 5k event in the morning and then a 1500 meter sprint in the afternoon. 

Two eights competed in the collegiate 8+.  The women's 1V, which consisted of mostly sophomores, finished in third place in the 5k head race with a time of 18:11.16, less than ten seconds from first place Mercyhurst College and less than eight seconds from the second place Ithaca College, a fellow Division III school.  

The 1V was stroked by senior Elizabeth Stokes-Cawley, while classmate Lauren Reed was the coxswain. Also rowing for St. Lawrence was senior Catie Lepage and sophomores Maggie Fellows, Maddie Fones, Britton Weber, Alissa McCaffrey, Kaitlin Summers and Jesse Burdett.

"The crew made steady improvement over the course of the event," Coach Nick Hughes said.  "Certainly, the positive result showcased their fitness and power.  More importantly, though, we're starting to produce good rowing more reliably." 

The Saint second varsity 8+ came in ninth place in the head race with a time of 19:21.37, roughly eleven seconds behind the fastest 2V in the race, Ithaca College, at 19:10.19.   

The 2V was stroked by first-year student Alie Mihuta and coxed by sophomore Kelly Greenwood.  Also rowing in the Saint 2V were seniors Maggie Wiener, Britne Tyler and Alicia Flint, junior Amanda Brewer, sophomore Sally Dankner, and first-year students Jenette Kloss and Anna Lavanger. 

In the 1500 meter sprint event, the 1V finished third with a time of 5:00.16, less than a second behind the second place Mercyhurst and less than four seconds from the first place Ithaca College. 

"The rowing in the sprint piece was remarkably long and relaxed, especially given the fact that we haven't done much work over a 28 this fall," Coach Hughes added.  "To be effective while understroking other crews is an encouraging indicator of our potential."

The Saints 2V was the fastest of the 2V boats in the afternoon, finishing with a time of 5:16.20.   

"The 2V's performance was particularly impressive,"  Coach Hughes said.  "By posting the fastest sprint time of all the 2V entries in their event, they embodied the sort of resilience that we aspire to as a squad this year.  The result revealed a depth of fitness and talent that continues to be a hallmark of the Saints women's rowing program."

Overall, the Saints 1V finished in third place with a time of 33:41.64, while the 2V finished in ninth place with a time of 35:09.97. 

The Saints will compete at the Head of the Charles this Saturday, October 23rd on the Charles River in Boston, MA.