WORCESTER, MA (May 10, 2026) – The Tufts University women's rowing team won the Points Trophy for the fourth straight year at the National Invitational Rowing Championships (NIRC) on Sunday at Lake Quinsigamond. Tufts won grand finals in the second, third and fourth varsity events, and were third in the first varsity grand final.
Winning the Points Trophy for the best overall performance at the NIRC, Tufts scored 188 points in the four events. Bates College was second at 180 and Williams College placed third (174).
The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) championship was also determined today, using the NCAA point-scoring system for the first and second varsity results at NIRC. Tufts and Bates College tied with a combined total of 50 points, but the Bobcats were declared conference champions due to their better finish in the first varsity race. Tufts took the runner-up spot.
Tufts won the second varsity grand final to score 16 points towards the NESCAC Championship. After dominating the first heat with a 7:28.574 time, the Jumbos rowed to a 7:21.227 victory in the grand final. They were five seconds in front of runner-up Trinity College (7:26.277). Bates was the fourth-place team in the 2V8 (7:35.581), earning 10 points in the NESCAC competition.
Then in the 1V8, Tufts won its heat over Trinity College with a 7:13.000 time. In the grand final, the Jumbos finished third with a 7:13.582 mark behind Bates (7:06.210) and Williams College (7:08.518). The Bobcats earned 40 points for the victory, while Tufts was granted 34 for third place. With both accumulating a 50-point team score, the results of the 1V8 broke the tie. The Bobcats ended Tufts' two-year run as NESCAC champions.
Tufts won the third varsity event for the fourth straight year (2023-26) at the NIRC. The Jumbos were first in their heat with a 7:34.501 time, and then recorded a 7:50.453 finish in the grand final to earn a five-second victory over runner-up Williams College (7:55.325).
Likewise, the Jumbos won fourth varsity racing at the NIRC for the fourth straight year. They had two eights entered in the event, with the A team winning a straight grand final with a 7:53.435 mark. Tufts' B eight was third in the race (8:06.635).
The Jumbos will now await a likely at-large berth into the NCAA Division III Championships, which will be announced on May 12.
Tufts' starting lineups today were:
1V8+:
Hannah Jiang (C),
Rose Tinkjian,
Sami Haynes,
Josie Monroe,
Sydney Barr,
Saskia Petitt,
Celia Carson,
Sam Dodds,
Emma Lyle.
2V8+:
Maddie Rosato (C),
Erica Wayland,
Katherine Tombaugh,
Zenani Himlin-Mayekiso,
Aubyn Mackey,
Sonia Haynes,
Claire Carson,
Lecia Sun,
Sonja Wartman.
3V8+:
Mackenna Billington (C),
Ava Chan,
Isla Ramsden,
Ava Elliot,
Hudson Saunders,
Sheelyn Pharr,
Nazira Collins,
Sanjana Rao,
Anna Lavin.
4V8+A:
AJ Nguyen (C),
Hazel Krumm,
Sylvia Popper,
Jacqueline Mulle,
Nora Redding,
Saskia Hood,
Elina Francis,
Afton Juracek,
Ella Tuck.
4V8+B:
Alex Boyer (C),
Fiona Smirl,
Elise Justman,
Sophia Shah,
Macie DiGuiseppe,
Olivia Langton,
Maddy Wood,
Alice Wall,
Elizabeth Chin.
--JUMBOS--
