Under the direction of first year head coach Heather Putnam, the Mount Holyoke rowing team had a solid campaign in 2014-15. The squad had a number of strong efforts during the year, including a second-place finish at the 2014 Seven Sisters Championship.
The season kicked off at the Snake Regatta as the varsity eight battled to a fifth-place finish. The novice eight also had a solid outing, powering their way to seventh.
Mount Holyoke made its return to the Charles River on Oct. 19, competing at the 50th Annual Head of the Charles Regatta. It was an outstanding effort for the Lyons, who finished 16th overall in the race. The team returned to Boston the next weekend, this time turning its sights on the 2014 Seven Sisters Championships, hosted by Wellesley. Both the varsity eight and novice eight boats competed to second-place finishes in their respective races.
For their efforts, junior Rosalind Waltz-Peters and sophomore Molly Lapointe earned All-Seven Sisters Championship recognition on Varsity, while first year Kimberly Ho was tabbed to the All-Championship Novice Team.
The spring season was a tough battle as the Lyons struggled to get onto the water following a brutally cold and snowy winter. The team headed South for its spring training trip, spending a week in South Carolina and Georgia.
MHC returned home to Western Massachusetts and were able to hit the water in early April at Tufts. The varsity eight shined in their race, finishing second in the opening race before finishing runner-up in the Petite Final. Also performing strong was the novice eight, which won its race against Hamilton.
The Lyons headed to Lake Quinsigamond the next weekend, battling against Clark, the University of Vermont, Simmons and UMass-Lowell. MHC had a solid effort as the varsity eight finished fourth overall. The novice eight also had a solid standing, finishing second in their race to UVM.
Following a dual meet regatta at Coast Guard, the Lyons geared up for a return to Worcester and the 2015 NEWMAC Championships on Lake Quinsigamond. The varsity eight posted a seventh-place finish, while the novice eight was third in its race. Following the races, the 2015 all-conference honorees were revealed. Named from Mount Holyoke to the Second Team was senior Hannah Arbach and Lapointe – who was a Seven Sisters All-Tourney honoree in the fall. It marked the third straight honor for Arbach and the first for Lapointe at the conference tournament.
The Lyons headed into the final stretch of the season back in Worcester, first competing at the New England Championships. Highlighting the event was the novice eight boat, which finished second in the Petite Final. The Lyons varsity eight boat took home fourth overall in its Third Final race. Overall, MHC finished 16th in the field.
Rounding out the season was the ECAC/National Invitational Collegiate Regatta, which saw Mount Holyoke place 18th overall. The novice eight once again had an impressive effort, placing second in the Petite Final, while the varsity eight was sixth overall in the Third Final of their race.
The Lyons were equally impressive in the classroom as eight student-athletes were named to the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference Team.
• Finished seventh at the NEWMAC Championship
• Were second at the Seven Sisters Championship
• Placed 16th at New England Rowing Championship
• Were 18th at ECAC/National Invitational Collegiate Regatta
• Two named to NEWMAC All-Conference Second Team – Hannah Arbach '15 & Molly Lapointe '17
• Three student-athletes garner Seven Sisters All-Tournament honors – Rosalind Waltz-Peters '16, Molly Lapointe '17 and Kimberly Ho '18
• Eight student-athletes earned NEWMAC Academic All-Conference honors
• Two student-athletes named Seven Sisters Scholar Athletes – Hannah Arbach '15 & Katelyn Joyal '15
