Facing the toughest competition of any Liberty League crew last week, William Smith's varsity eight squared off with six-time defending national champion Williams. The top-ranked Ephs were able to defeat the third-ranked Herons, but William Smith narrowed the gap considerably from the 2011 NCAA Grand Final. The Herons crossed the line in 6:52.32, just 4.85 seconds behind Williams. The Ephs were more than 19 seconds faster than William Smith last May. The Heron varsity eight was powered by Kim Goral, Liz Hafer, Sinead Reilly, Lauren Blake-Whitney, Sarah Gordon, Katie Paige, Tess Wiggins, Alyssa Trebilcock and Jess Steketee.