WORCESTER, MA (May 2, 2026) -- The Tufts University women's rowing team cruised to yet another New England Rowing Championships (NERC) points title on Saturday at Lake Quinsigamond, highlighting action on a rainy, chilly day in Worcester.
The Jumbos finished with 76 total points, 33 more than the next nearest competitor in Williams College and its 43.20 points. Trinity College was third with 42.30 points. Tufts also earned wins in the second, third and fourth varsity eights.
Tufts started the day in the first varsity boat with a 7:08.084 time in their heat to finish second, qualifying for the grand final later in the day. In the last race on the Lake Saturday, Tufts would finish fifth overall with a time of 6:54.80 which was 10 seconds behind winner MIT.
The 2V8+ won by open water in their preliminary heat in the morning, rowing a 7:04.464 to best Wesleyan by over 10 seconds. In the grand final of the second varsity, Tufts defeated Williams with a time of 6:52.126. Williams finished with a 6:55.838.
The third varsity was also a winning boat for the Jumbos, as Tufts slipped by Trinity College by just over two seconds after rowing a time of 7:18.99 to earn a spot in the grand final. Once there, Tufts had to work to get by Williams but had enough in the end with its time of 7:08.376, just under two seconds clear of the Ephs.
The 4V8+ boat earned a title on Saturday with a six-second win over Bates College, rowing to a time of 8:01.184 in their lone race of the day.
The Jumbos also competed a pair of varsity four boats, as the 1V4+ was third behind Amherst and MIT after recording a time of 9:18.173. The 2V4+ posted a win in its first heat, an 8:30.211 to win by open water over Bowdoin. In the grand final, Tufts took second behind Amherst with a time of 9:33.915.
The boats were the following:
1V8+:
Hannah Jiang (C),
Rose Tinkjian,
Sami Haynes,
Sam Dodds,
Aubyn Mackey,
Zenani Himlin-Mayekiso,
Josie Monroe,
Emma Lyle
2V8+:
Maddie Rosato (C),
Erica Wayland,
Celia Carson,
Saskia Petitt,
Katherine Tombaugh,
Sonia Haynes,
Claire Carson,
Lecia Sun,
Sonja Wartman
3V8+:
Mackenna Billington (C),
Ava Chan,
Isla Ramsden,
Ava Elliot,
Hudson Saunders,
Sheelyn Pharr,
Nazira Collins,
Sanjana Rao,
Anna Lavin
4V8+:
Alex Boyer (C),
Hazel Krumm,
Sylvia Popper,
Jacqueline Mulle,
Nora Redding,
Saskia Hood,
Elina Francis,
Afton Juracek,
Ella Tuck
1V4+:
Zinnia Deora (C),
Olivia Langton,
Elise Justman,
Sophia Shah,
Macie DiGuiseppe
2V4+:
Kira Merrell (C),
Maddy Wood,
Fiona Smirl,
Elizabeth Chin,
Alice Wall
The Jumbos will compete at the National Invitational Rowing Championships next Sunday, May 10, once again at Lake Quinsigamond. The regatta will also serve as the NESCAC Championships.
