SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The Skidmore College men's and women's rowing teams participated in the New York State Championships, hosted on Fish Creek in Saratoga Spring. The regatta, boasting 27 teams and over 150 entries, proved to be one of the largest in recent history.
 
Women's Recap
 
The Varsity women kicked off the day in the second of three heats, needing a top-two finish to progress to the grand final. The crew finished third out of five, advancing them to the petite final. Hayden Harlow, Maddie Aho, Camilla Johnson, Molly Sullivan, Delaney Miller, Norah Jankey, Britta Arvold, McKenna Otey, and Ria Puga Gory completed the course in a time of 7:45.9. The heat was won by Ithaca College (7:22), followed by Smith College (7:24). University of Rochester finished fourth at 8:06, and St. John Fisher fifth in a time of 8:17.
 
In the 2nd Varsity 8+ heat, the crew aimed for a top-three finish to advance to the grand final. However, they finished fourth behind Ithaca College, Colgate University, and Canisius College. Cam High, Charlotte Taylor, Alice Yi, Hannah Richards, Eva Calcutt, Lindsey Jacobs, Willa Bradley, Madison Lofmark, and Lila Glanville completed the course in a time of 7:56. The crew would progress to the petite final later in the afternoon.
 
The women's 3V raced in a final only, finishing fifth and narrowly falling to William Smith. Hamilton won the event in a time of 8:06; Skidmore finished in 8:53. Mya Carter, Ava Hammond, Eleanor King, Harper Staton-Todaro, Kirsten Dingman, Sophia Peterson, Summer Saifee, Siena Goebel, and Natalie Goeks comprised the crew.
 
The women's varsity 8+ crew and coaching staff were not adequately alerted of a schedule change causing the team to miss the petite final. The boat was permitted to participate in the 2nd varsity 8+ grand final, where they finished fourth among a competitive field of seven. The 2nd varsity women raced in their scheduled petite final, finishing fourth in the event and 10th overall.
 
Men's Recap 
The men's varsity 8+ began competition needing a top-three finish out of five to progress to a grand final. However, the crew finished fourth in a time of 6:51, with Ithaca College winning the heat (6:32), followed by Army (6:36), and Rochester Institute of Technology (6:39). Mya Carter, Thomas du Four, Mark Miller, Ryan Capozucca, Charles Ertz, Sam van Adrichem Boogaert, Jed Prickett, Sam Goldberg, and Grant Steinberger would progress to the petite final. The men's varsity 8+ crew and coaching staff were not adequately alerted of a schedule change causing the team to miss the petite final. They were allowed to participate in the grand final, finishing fifth.
 
The men's 2nd varsity 8+ raced in a seven-boat final only, placing seventh in the event. Skidmore men's 2V finished in a time of 7:49.7, with Gwen Posanti, John Sandberg, Nestor Martinez, Stephen Dumaresq, Jack Holtzapffel, Joe Papaccio, Nick Casale, Kal Katz, and Rodrigo Gonzalez-Rivero returning to their full lineup after switching to a 4+ last week due to injury.
 
In the final race of the day, sophomore Grant Steinberger finished second in the men's collegiate single.  The winning time came from the single sculler out of Dominican University, finishing in a time of 8:42.  Steinberger finished in a time of 8:53, and the single sculler from Clarkson rounded out the top three in the event with a time of 8:55.
 
Coach's Quote
 
"Today was a disappointing day all the way around, exacerbated by some conditions outside of our control. We are frustrated for our dedicated group of student-athletes and hope that some of the challenges that we faced today do not impact future rowers. Those in the rowing community know that during the four years you get as a college rower, racing is a rare and special opportunity. As a coaching staff we are frustrated that our team did not have the opportunity to compete as we had originally planned.
 
"As for the racing we did get, we did not meet our own internal expectations in any of the top four racing crews. When a singular crew misses the mark, it is very often attributed to that crew. When four out of four miss, the common denominator is the coach, and I need to perform better. The team has done everything I've asked of them, and the coaching staff will take the next two weeks to lock in and maximize our performance at Liberty Leagues. I am very proud of the team, and as I've told them, this is the team I've always wanted. I am confident the athletes on this team will continue to work hard, improve, and stick together, and I am excited to get back to work on Monday.
 
NEXT UP: Skidmore Rowing will participate in the Liberty League Championships, 8 a.m. on May 3 on Fish Creek.