WORCESTER, MA. — Smith Rowing delivered a gritty and determined performance at the 2025 New England Rowing Championships on Lake Quinsigamond, highlighted by a dominant win in the 1V Petite Final and a wave of momentum heading into next weekend's National Invitational.

The 1V8+ finished third in their heat with a time of 7:16.796, flipping last week's result against Coast Guard while pushing Williams and Tufts to the line. In the afternoon, the crew responded with a vengeance, crushing the field in the Petite Final by 10 seconds and handily defeating conference rivals WPI and Coast Guard.

"Our boat had an amazing race today," said Anna Boden (Seattle, WA/Holy Names Academy) '26. "We stayed composed through the tough conditions and unlocked some incredible speed, trust, and confidence. We cannot wait to build on this at NIRCs!"

The 2V8+ matched the 1V's third-place heat finish with a time of 7:22.060, pushing within a second of Williams after what the livestream dubbed a "soul-crushing move."

"It was encouraging to know that even if we weren't able to follow our original race plan, we made the right moves to go after it," said first-year Reed Williams (Atlanta, GA/Midtown) '28.

The 3V8+ also advanced with a third-place heat finish (8:14.875), tactically positioning themselves for what was shaping up to be a strong Grand Final appearance before racing was called off due to high winds.

"It only made us that much hungrier for the podium next weekend," said Maddy Beer (Seattle, WA/Seattle Preparatory School) '26. "We've got more gas in the tank and we're ready to floor it at NIRCs!"

Head Coach Clare Doyle praised the team's resilience:

"This team showed up on a mission. While we're disappointed the afternoon finals for our 2V, 3V, and 4V were canceled, those boats are fired up. We're walking away with undeniable momentum and a clear purpose for the National Invitational next week."

Up Next

Smith returns to Worcester next Sunday for the National Invitational Rowing Championships (NIRCs).