Women's Rowing | 4/29/2017 1:53:00 PM

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – The RIT women's crew team made history Friday afternoon, winning the 2017 Liberty League women's rowing team championship and earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Rowing Championships. RIT won gold in the varsity eight and finished second in the second varsity eight at Fish Creek on Saratoga Lake to claim the crown.  

The Liberty League title and NCAA bid are the first for the Tigers. The NCAA Rowing Championships will be held May 26-28 on Lake Mercer in West Windsor, N.J.
 
The team championship is determined by a point system based on the finish of the varsity eight and the second varsity eight boats. The combination of the first place finish in the varsity eight and the second place finish in the second varsity eight earned the Tigers the championship over William Smith College.

In the first race of the afternoon, RIT's second varsity eight of Francesca Scumaci (Fairport, NY/Fairport), Emma Will (Squantum, MA/Woodward School for Girls), Mickyla Schnupp (Fairport, NY/Fairport), Lauren Asselmeyer (Poughquag, NY/Arlington), Emma Kate Flanagan (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs), Tiffany Cao (Buffalo, NY/Hutchinson Central Technical), Catherine Evans (Sharon, PA), Colleen Albert (Burlington, CT/Lewis S. Mills) and Debbie Kunz (Owego, NY/Owego) posted a time of 8:04.359 to finish second behind William Smith (7:55.900). St. Lawrence University, the University of Rochester and Skidmore College rounded out the field.
 
In the final event of the day, RIT's varsity eight blazed down the course, crossing the line with open water in 7:14.050. Erin Loughran (Newburgh, NY/Newburgh Free Academy), Amy Guthrie (Essex Junction, VT/Essex), Emma Kohler (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius), Taylor Blackwell (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Sutherland), Cassandra Killion (New Plymouth, ID/Nampa Christian), Hayley Richardson (Kennebunk, ME/Kennebunk), Clarissa Brown (Fairport, NY/Fairport), Colleen Ryan (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Sutherland) and Claire Thomas (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Sutherland) were more than 12 seconds ahead of the Herons. St. Lawrence placed third and Rochester, Skidmore, Union College and St. John Fisher University filled out the field.

In the novice eight event, RIT's line-up of Ashley Osborne (Winchester, MA/Winchester), Regina Chartier (Nashua, NH/Nashua South), Daniella Reeves, Brook Fitzpatrick (Jacksonville, FL/Stanton College Prep), Olivia Sanders (Ashburn, VA/Stone Bridge), Rachel Schwall (), Varada Krishnadas (Canton, MA/Canton), Anna Schum-Houck (Rochester, NY/Aquinas) and Jordan Melita (North Chili, NY/Churchville Chili) stopped the clock at 9:31.716. William Smith (8:47.900) claimed first and St. Lawrence (8:57.286) finished second.
 
RIT returns to Saratoga Springs next weekend, when they contend for the New York State Collegiate Rowing Championship on Saturday, May 6.