New No. 1 women’s crew competed against the former No. 1 and current No. 2 Trinity Bantams as well as the No. 8 Wesleyan Cardinals at the Little Three Championship in Pittsfield, Mass., on the team’s home course on Saturday. The Ephs secured first place in both the 1v and 3v eights races to claim the Little Three crown, while the 2v and novice fours each placed third.
The Little Three Championship has long been a close competition between the Ephs and the Cardinals. Historically, Amherst has also competed, but they no longer have a varsity women’s crew team. This year, the Championship welcomed a new competitor in the Bantams.
Catherine Farman-Farmaian ’26, four-seat of the 2v, reflected on the additional competition. “This year we had Trinity as a guest, adding to the NESCAC rivalry spirit,” she said. “We all got to really push each other this year, which makes this a really fun race for us.”
Following the Ephs’ early season victories at the Skidmore Sprints on April 4 and the Donahue Cup on April 11, they were ready to face the top-ranked Bantams head on. The 1v boat started the day off strong for the Ephs, claiming first place with a time of 7:17.3 and edging out the Bantams by 1.41 seconds. After falling behind early in the race, the Ephs eventually took the lead and held off an aggressive late charge from the Bantams to secure the victory.
1v coxswain Ariana Oppenheimer ’26 said her boat never wavered in its confidence despite being down in the beginning of the race. “There was this calm sense of just believing in the boat and believing in the work we’ve put in,” she said. “It was really exciting to come away with a win against the No. 1 ranked team in Div. III rowing.” With the 1v’s victory, the Ephs successfully defended their Little Three title from the previous season.
The 2v got off to a strong start but narrowly landed in third place, finishing with a time of 7:31.6, just 0.59 seconds behind the Cardinals and 2.41 seconds behind the Bantams. The 2v maintained a positive outlook despite the loss, looking to build on Saturday’s momentum heading into the rest of the season. “I’m really excited to keep practicing that sort of fierce, competitive energy that we found yesterday for the next few weeks,” Farman-Farmaian said. “We all pushed each other to grow, and at the end of the day, that’s one of the really cool things about competition, it can bring out a totally new side of you.”
After the 1v and 2v races, the 3v emerged victorious in another closely contested battle. The boat finished in a time of 7:39.1, with the Cardinals trailing 1.62 seconds behind. Composed of rowers from three different class years with a wide range of rowing experience, the boat found a sense of unity to secure the win, according to Lily Clemens ’28. “I feel like this race was one of the first times that [our boat] has really clicked,” she said. “Everyone was really happy and proud with how it went.”
Every rower in the novice fours boat made their competitive debut with a third-place finish and a time of 9:33.49. With a lineup composed entirely of walk-ons, it was a milestone moment for the group, according to Piper Widmer ’28. “It was our first real experience rowing together,” she said. “All of us who had just joined the team got to emerge into the crowd of everyone that’s helped us get to the point where we can race.”
The team has been bolstered by a strong class of first-year recruits and the continued development of its walk-on members this year. “The frosh and everyone who joined this year have been super amazing in bringing really good energy,” Oppenheimer said. “A lot of the recruits that we got are really fast and have been pushing the team forward.”
With the majority of the senior class being walk-ons, the team and their coaches have emphasized the importance of the younger walk-ons’ development, according to Widmer. “I just think that it is quite amazing not only be able to walk on, but to have so much room to grow and really have that development also be supported by the team and by the coaches,” she said.
The Ephs will face the No. 9 Hamilton Continentals on Lake Onota on Saturday, April 25, for Senior Day. Afterward, they will travel to Worcester, Mass., for the New England Rowing Championship and NESCAC Championships on consecutive weekends.
Looking ahead, the Ephs have their eyes set on the prize. Last year, they were runner-up at Nationals. This year, they hope to go one step further. “As a team, we want to win NCAAs,” Farman-Farmaian said. NCAA Div. III Nationals will take place from May 29-31 in Gainesville, Ga.
Editor’s note: Member of the crew team, Ellie Davis, who is the editor-in-chief of the Record, was not involved in the writing or editing of this story.
