Bennett, Foster Lead Crew at 36th Textile River Regatta

LOWELL, Massachusetts - Senior Chelsea Foster (Avon, Conn.) and sophomore Ronnie Bennett (Pottstown, Pa.) finished second in the Women's Club Double at the 36th Annual Textile River Regatta to lead the Simmons College crew team on the Merrimack River this morning in Lowell, Mass. in the Sharks season opening regatta.

Foster and Bennett posted a time of 25:04.361 to finish second by just nine seconds. Foster took over the stroke duties to Bennett's bow seat. The senior pair of Sophie Stone (Greenland, N.H.) and Abi Smith (Brookline, Mass.) placed seventh in the race, clocking in at 29:23.118 with Stone taking the stroke seat.

Simmons' Eight placed sixth in the Club Eight race with a mark of 23:20.143 turned in by a shell featuring six sophomores and two first years . Sophomore Erica Bartle (Arlington, Mass.) established the stroke pace, followed by first year Sarah Bohan (Guilford, Conn.), senior Allie Belanger (Blackstone, Mass.), sophomore Erin Lilienthal (East Lyme, Conn.), first year Rachel Mazur (Princeton, Mass.), sophomores Elsbeth Colson (Everett, Mass.) and Elizabeth Rea-Wilson (Concord, Mass.) and sophomore Karina Bercan (Derry, N.H.) in the bow seat. Sophomore Kait Fierlit (Hamden, Conn.) pushed the shell as the coxswain.

The Sharks capped the day with a fourth-place showing in the Club Four race. Sophomore Alexa Frongillo (Franklin, Mass.) led from the stroke seat with Foster doubling up on the day in the third seat, followed by senior Jess Randolph (Concord, N.C.) and Stone, who was also competing for the second time on the day, but in the bow seat. Sophomore Clarice Johnson (Norwell, Mass.) directed the quartet from the coxswain seat to an eighth-place finish with a time of 26:35.354.

Simmons will be in the water again on Saturday, October 10 when it engages in time trials on the Charles River ahead of the 51st Head of the Charles, the following weekend.