SARASOTA, Fla. – The nationally ranked No. 3 Ithaca College women's crew team completed its 2021 season on Saturday, May 29 at the NCAA Division III Championships at Nathan Benderson Park with a third place overall finish. Ithaca accumulated 33 points in the championships, barely edged out by Hamilton with 34 points. Bates won its fourth consecutive national title with 42 points.
The morning began with the Petite Final at 11 a.m., but both Ithaca boats qualified for the Grand Final. IC's 2V8 was next up at 11:12 a.m. against Bates, Hamilton and Wesleyan.
Bates got off to a strong start in the opening 500 meters over the field with a 1:39.585 split, which was nearly a second faster than Hamilton and three seconds better than Ithaca (1:42.409). By the midway point, the Bombers fell behind Bates by six seconds, but sat just 1.2 seconds from Wesleyan for third place. With 500 meters to go, Bates distanced itself from the pack and it turned into a race for second place down the final stretch. Ithaca finished in 6:58.963 to come in fourth overall, while Wesleyan crossed in 6:56.947 for third. Bates won by nearly six seconds at 6:48.503 and Hamilton came in as the runner-up at 6:54.311.
After the Petite Final in the 1V8, the final showdown commenced for the national championship. The Bombers looked destined to pull off the victory with a strong start, leading the race through 500 meters at 1:36.911. IC remained in the lead at 1000 meters with a time of 3:15.792, but Bates had closed the game to a near deadlock at 3:15.864.
The Bobcats took control over the next 500-meter sprint, building nearly a three second lead over the Bombers – 4:56.394 to 4:58.904. Bates finished off the race at 6:34.872, while the Bombers posted a superb time of 6:37.730 to come in second overall. Hamilton was third at 6:41.058 and Wesleyan finished fourth in 643.602.
The third place overall finish between the two boats is the best for Ithaca since the Bombers were the runners-up in 2006.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20210602084557906