Rowing's first varsity eight takes third place in final race of the season at NIRC regatta

Featuring (left to right) Jocelyn Greer, Jill Slatch, and Piper LaPointe, the Mount Holyoke first varsity eight placed third out of seven boats in the Third-Level Final at the National Invitational Rowing Championship on May 12, 2023. (RJB Sports file photo)

WORCESTER, Mass. -- The Mount Holyoke College rowing team's first varsity eight boat defeated Coast Guard Academy, the University of Rochester, Connecticut College and St. Lawrence University to finish third out of seven boats in the Third Level Final on Friday afternoon at the National Invitational Rowing Championship, highlighting a highly competitive final day of racing this season for the Lyons.

Coxswained by first-year Tobin Mayo-Kiely (Anchorage, Alaska) and featuring two seniors racing for the final time for Mount Holyoke in Jocelyn Greer (Athens, N.Y.) and Piper LaPointe (Mansfield, Mass.), the Lyons WV8 finished the 2,000-meter course at Lake Quinsigamond in 7:02.208, trailing Skidmore (6:53.546) and Colby (6:58.856) but edging Coast Guard (7:03.154), Rochester (7:04.574), Conn. College (7:10.670), and St. Lawrence (7:16.112). With six-boat fields in both the Grand Final and Petite Final, the Third-Level Final essentially decided places 13-19 at the venerable regatta, the final event on the NCAA women's rowing schedule before the national championships.

The Lyons WV8 placed sixth out of six boats in the third of three morning heats in 7:49.385, but was able to row more than 47 seconds faster in the afternoon final.

Mount Holyoke also competed in the Third-Level final in the Women's Second Varsity Eight division, coxed by sophomore Jennifer Butler (Knoxville, Tenn.), and was edged by Connecticut College in a great race for fourth place out of four boats, 7:38.253 to 7:38.707, with RIT (7:26.503) placing first and Skidmore (7:34.299) taking second in the race. Mount Holyoke was also edged by Conn. College in the third morning W2V8 heat for fifth place out of six boats, 8:14.302 to 8:15.496.

Mount Holyoke Boat Lineups:
1V - Bow: Meghan French; 2: Mack Windus; 3: Jocelyn Greer; 4: Liv Romanowsky; 5: Jill Slatch; 6: Piper LaPointe; 7: Gwyn Munroe; Stroke: Emma Waldron; Cox: Tobin Mayo-Kiely.
2V - Bow: Holly Wrampelmeier; 2: Dina Markovich-Koyfman; 3: Evelyn Griffin; 4: Maire Kettner; 5: Ava Rawlings; 6: Annika Smart; 7: Caroline Odlin-Brewer; Stroke: Clay Halpern; Cox: Jennifer Butler.