PENNSAUKEN, N.J. — The MIT women's lightweight crew team closed out it season with a pair of medal winning performances on Sunday morning at the IRA National Championship on the Cooper River, as the Varsity 4+ earned national runner-up honors in the Women's Lightweight Varsity 4+ Grand Final and the 2x turned in a bronze medal winning performance in the Women's Lightweight Varsity 2x Grand Final.
The silver medal performance in the V4+ was the best result for the lightweight four since a runner-up performance at the 2023 IRA National Championship, as MIT has finished in the top five in the Varsity 4+ at every IRA National Championship since 2021. The Engineers last won the lightweight Varsity 4+ national championships at the 2022 IRA National Championship.
THE BASICS:
- 2x: 3rd of 6 (Grand Final)
- 4+: 2nd of 7 (Grand Final)
RACE BY RACE:
- 2x: Boston University and Wisconsin got out to a fast start through the first 500m, with the Badgers taking a slight early lead before BU moved to the front through the middle 1000m. MIT's 2x of Avery Reischer-Craft and Katherine Wei was third through the start and pushed to catch the top two crews through the middle of the course, moving from three seconds back at the 1000m mark to two seconds back of second-place Wisconsin at the 1500m mark. BU held off both Wisconsin and MIT at the finish, winning in 7:37.350, less than a second ahead of Wisconsin in second in 7:38.310. MIT was third in 7:40.660, just over three seconds back of BU but almost nine seconds ahead of fourth place Stanford. Georgetown and Princeton finished in fifth and sixth, respectively.
- 4+: Princeton posted a wire-to-wire win in the lightweight four final but MIT pushed the Tigers throughout the course. Princeton opened up an early lead, with MIT two seconds back at 500m and trailing second place Wisconsin. Princeton continued to lead at the 1000m mark with Wisconsin, MIT and Harvard grouped together behind the Tigers. MIT took hold of second place by 1500m as Wisconsin and Harvard dropped behind the Engineers and in front of fifth place BU. The final 500m sprint saw the Tigers secure the national title in 7:14.320, finishing less than a second ahead of MIT in 7:15.220. Harvard was third in 7:18.820. BU and Wisconsin took fourth and fifth, respectively while Georgetown and Stanford rounded out the field in sixth and seventh place.
BOATINGS:
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