LEWISBERRY, Pa. – The No. 7 ranked Marietta College women's rowing team swept Franklin & Marshall College Saturday (April 7) morning. The Pioneers won all three of the 2,000-meter races. [Results]

In the varsity 8+ race, Marietta finished in a time of 6:46.79 while the Diplomats crossed the line over 20 seconds later with a time of 7:08.36. The Pioneers got off the line with a very fast start and had a comfortable lead at the halfway mark. Marietta gained open water on the Diplomats in the final 1,000 meters.

”Overall, we know there is still speed to be found,” Head Coach Kelly Harris said. “But, the crew was pleased with their execution of the race plan. This was one of our strongest races of the season.”

Marietta sat coxswain Megan Oxley (Clarksburg, N.J./Allentown), stroke Abigail Klicker (Avalon Borough, Pa./Northgate), Hailey Ellis (New Albany/New Albany), Kelli Barnette (Parkersburg, W.Va./South), April Pendergrass (Bethesda, Md./Walter Johnson), Ricci Davis (Marietta/Marietta), Trisha Wendel (Chagrin Falls/Kenston), Bridget Dean (Rochester, Minn./Mayo) and bow Alyse McNeill (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler Area) in the varsity 8+ race.

The Pioneers won the second varsity 8+ race by nearly 50 seconds. Marietta posted a time of 7:04.65 and Franklin & Marshall finished in 7:53.14. Marietta's lineup in the second varsity shell included coxswain Laura Sterzinger (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Catholic), stroke Taryn Wilson (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa), Alycia Kime (Sicklerville, N.J./Winslow Township), Kelly Moses (Lyndhurst/Brush), Stephanie Meinert (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel Area), Erika Gill (Copley/Copley), Shannon Johnston (Arlington, Va./Yorktown), Katherine Tedesco (Upper Arlington/Upper Arlington) and bow Hannah Platt (Potomac, Md./Walt Whitman).

“The 2V continues to impress us with their determination off the line,” Harris said. “They gained an early margin and stayed strong through the middle 1,000 meters. The talent and depth of our program is exemplified by the 2V speed.”

The varsity 4+ completed the sweep with an open-water victory. The Pioneers finished in 8:17.68 and the Diplomats were 48 seconds behind with a time of 9:05.86. The Pioneers featured coxswain Liz Luckenbaugh (Akron/Our Lady of the Elms), stroke Anja Curwen (Carlisle Pa./St. Bouaventure), Penelope Smith (Pittsburgh, Pa./Winchester Thurston), Regina Collette (Columbus/Metro) and bow Christina Beltran-Revilla (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel Area) in the varsity 4+ race.

Up next for the Pioneer Navy is the Knecht Cup in Camden, N.J. next Saturday and Sunday (April 14-15).