Led by third year coach Heather Putnam, the Mount Holyoke rowing team had a solid year, competing in nine events during the 2016-17 season.
The Lyons opened up the fall slate with a strong performance at the Quinsigamond Snake Regatta in Worcester. The varsity eight crew was the top boat for MHC, finishing 11th and posting a time of 15:44.436, defeating several other conference crews in the race. In the varsity four race, Mount Holyoke also finished 11th in a field of 17 boats, crossing with a time of 19:59.909. MHC also had two boats in the novice eight race, including the A boat, which finished eighth in a time of 18:23.345.
Mount Holyoke competed next in the Seven Sisters Championship on Oct. 30th, finishing fourth overall. In the V8 race, the MHC crew placed second with a time of 17:38. The Lyons also placed third in the second V8 race with a 19:35 time, while earning a fourth-place finish in the novice eight race with a time of 20:58.80.
To begin March, Mount Holyoke competed in an exhibition race at Clemson, before heading to the Connecticut River at Amherst to place second. The second V8 boat led the way, grabbing victory with a time of 8:02, beating both boats from Amherst. In the V8 race the Lyons finished second, posting a time of 7:32, while also earning second place in the V4 race, crossing in 8:58.17.
Due to inclement weather, the race scheduled for April 1st against Amherst and Johnson and Whales was canceled, but the Lyons were back on the water the following weekend at Lake Quinsigamond against Clark, the University of Vermont and Simmons. The V8 boat paced way to second with a time of 7:09.0, while the second V8 boat took third with a 7:53.9 time. The performance earned the Lyons varisty eight the NEWMAC Boat of the Week honors.
Mount Holyoke had a dominating performance on Thames River against Coast Guard and Johnson and Wales on April 22nd. The V8 boat was first with a time of 5:53.3, which was 20 seconds faster than Coast Guard, the second place finisher. MHC also performed well in the novice four race, finishing second with a time of 7:36.7.
Next up was the NEWMAC Championships, where the Lyons had a solid performance, placing fourth behind All-Conference Second Team efforts from senior captain Azulina Green (Austin, Texas/Gurza High School) and junior captain Ariya Lawson (Washington, D.C./St. Paul's School). The Lyons then traveled back to Worcester for the New England Championships. The V8 crew placed 11th overall, while the second V8 boat went on to compete in the Petite Final, securing a fifth place finish.
Mount Holyoke hit the water at Lake Quinsigamond for the final time of the 2016-17 season on May 12th at the National Invitational Rowing Championship. The V8 crew advanced to the Third Final, placing third overall, followed by the second varsity eight which also made it to the Third Final for fourth overall. Finally, the varsity four boat competed in the Grand Final, posting a fourth place finish.
The Lyons also saw 10 athletes earn spring NEWMAC Academic All-Conference honors, while 10 others garnerd NIRC All-Academic recognition. Senior Briana Chace (Richmond, R.I./The Greene School) was named to the NEWMAC All-Sportsmanship Team, while Lawson was tabbed to the 2017 NIRC Stewards Team.
• NEWMAC Boat of the Week Honors (4/10)
• 10 named to Academic All-Conference
• Fourth at Seven Sisters Championship
• Fourth at NEWMAC Championships
• Two named to NEWMAC All-Conference Second Team
• 10 named to NIRC All-Academic Team
• Lawson named to 2017 NIRC Stewards Team
• V8 placed 11th at New England Championships
• V8 placed eighth at the National Invitational Rowing Championships
