WEST WINDSOR, NJ (May 30, 2025) – Both Tufts University eights won their heat as the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Rowing Championships got started on Mercer Lake on Friday.
Coach
Lily Siddall's Jumbos took the first step towards defending their NCAA Championship won last year by placing both boats into tomorrow's Grand Finals.
In the first event of the Championship weekend today, the Jumbo second varsity pulled away early and rowed to a two-length victory over Bates College with a 7:02.132 finish to a 7:08.051 mark for the Bobcats. Both schools advance to tomorrow's 2V8 Grand Final at 10:48 AM. Wellesley College and Pacific Lutheran University were third and fourth in the race, respectively, and will row in a repechage later on Friday with an opportunity to get into the Grand Final.
In the first varsity heats this morning, Tufts held on to nip Bates 6:51.046 to 6:51.296. The Jumbos led by nearly two seconds at the halfway point, but the Bobcats closed the margin over the next 500 meters. Tufts held strong during the final 500 to win. Both squads head into tomorrow's 1V8 Grand Final at 11:36 AM. Wellesley and St. Mary's College (MD) go to the repechage.
From the other heats today, Williams College and Wesleyan University advanced from both races to the Grand Finals. The Ephs won both heats with times of 7:05.301 in second varsity and 6:57.233 in first varsity. The teams from Ithaca and St. Mary's in 2V8, and Wellesley and St. Mary's in 1V8 will compete in the repechages later on Friday.
The Jumbo line-ups for the heats were for the 2V8 coxswain
Maddie Rosato, stroke
Julia Zipoli, 7-
Janna Moore, 6-
Sophia Brackett, 5-
Sophie Cumming, 4-
Zenani Himlin-Mayekiso, 3-
Brooke Thompson, 2-
Lecia Sun and bow
Natalie Graham. The 1V8 had coxswain
Hannah Jiang, stroke
Rose Tinkjian, 7-
Sami Haynes, 6-
Stella Shen, 5-
Emma Lyle, 4-
Lucy Howell, 3-
Reilly Uiterwyk, 2-
Josie Monroe and bow
Sydney Barr.
In the NCAA Championship finals tomorrow, the results from the first and second varsity races will count towards the points trophy which determines the overall winner. The first varsity results are weighed more heavily.
--JUMBOS--
