William Smith successfully defended its women's collegiate eights championship at the Head of the Genesee in Rochester, N.Y., on Saturday. The Heron varsity eight finished first in the 17-crew field which included three conference rivals and Division II Mercyhurst. William Smith put together an impressive morning run, opening with an 18.9 second lead over second place Hamilton. The Herons kept pace in the afternoon sprint, crossing the line with an additional two second advantage over the Continentals. William Smith's cumulative weighted time of 33:54.52 was 24.39 seconds ahead of second place Hamilton and 36.95 seconds faster than Liberty League rival St. Lawrence, who finished third. The Heron varsity eight was powered by Kim Goral, Libby Hughes, Katie Paige, Caroline DeWeirdt, Emily Andersen, Laura Cappio, Sarah Gordon, Alyssa Trebilcock, and Jess Steketee.