Bates Women's rowing places both boats in the top six at Head of the Charles

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The defending NCAA champion Bates College women's rowing team didn't repeat as Women's Collegiate Eights champions on Sunday at the 51st Head of the Charles, but the Bobcats still performed like the No. 1 team in Division III.

Bates' first varsity eight placed third overall and Bates' second varsity eight took sixth place out of 32 boats, well ahead of many rivals' first eights.

Williams' WV8 won the race in 17:25.577, followed by Division II Mercyhurst (17:31.510) and Bates' WV8, which navigated the winding, 4,800-meter course in 17:36.058 -- more than four seconds ahead of fourth-place rival Wellesley.

Ithaca College was fifth in 17:56.836, followed by Bates' W2V8 in 17:59.858 -- ahead of the WV8s of such rivals as Wesleyan, Tufts and Trinity. Williams was the only other college to field a second eight, and the Ephs' W2V8 placed 21st overall in 19:01.230.

Lineups:
WV8: Laura Rand (bow), Alison Simmons, Emma Conover, Emma Taylor, Rosemary Kyne, Olivia Stockly, Emilie Muller, Lena Rintell (stroke); Katherine Traquina (cox).

W2V8: Sophia Gottlieb (bow), Ella Bourland, Sophia Merelas, Kiera Degener-O'Brien, Phoebe Long, Michelle Kelley, Margaux Joselow, Grace Jurkovich (stroke); Abigail Bierman (cox).