The women’s crew’s first varsity 8 boat is typically filled with the most experienced rowers stroking in unison, propelling a narrow shell along race routes and skimming the surface of the water until they reach the finish line.

This season, however, the crew’s fastest boat, which is usually reserved for seniors, is filled with sophomores and juniors with only one senior among them.

Aside from the younger rowers’ skill, they have taken over the boat because of their enthusiasm. Head Coach Becky Robinson said the seniors on the team have been instrumental in integrating the team’s youth into the squad.

“The seniors have been all-inclusive from the beginning,” she said. “They’ve never made [the younger rowers] feel like they’re younger or lesser players on the team. They’ve set really reasonable goals, and they’ve stuck to them and have set an example to make it pretty straightforward.”

At the crew’s first meet of the season Saturday at the Cayuga Inlet, the first varsity 8 boat proved it will be a force to be reckoned with, even with a lack of seniors. The No. 4 nationally ranked boat defeated No. 6 William Smith College and took down Division I Cornell University for the first time in 30 years. Sophomore first varsity 8 rower Amy Geffel said her boat’s performance in the first race of the season will give the crew a good base to build from for the rest of the year.

“It’s nice to see where you match up against other crews and see what other crews are doing and getting an idea of where you stand in your boat,” Geffel said. “It gives you a place to start from to work up.”

While these rowers are able to look forward to the rest of the season, the younger rowers’ performance at the varsity level is already setting the stage for future seasons of Ithaca rowing. Robinson said this season’s freshmen have the makeup of a potential future champion.

“You really rely each year on the freshman class, but our freshman class showed [Saturday] that they are a very strong class,” she said. “That means we’re going to have continued success next year and into the following year.”

Co-captain Katie O’Driscoll, the only senior in the first varsity 8, said in previous years her boat has been a more serious boat, while the others were looser and more fun-loving. However, with the shift in age in the top boat, she said the attitude has shifted as well.

“In past years, the second boat is the more fun-loving one, and the first is all serious all the time,” she said. “This year, the first boat has a little more of a looser attitude. We laugh and joke and play telephone in the boat.”

Aside from the strength at the varsity level, Robinson said she has seen positives in the novice boats and stressed the importance of having a strong novice season before joining the varsity program.

“The novices are beginning and are new at the sport,” she said. “Both the sophomore and junior class had successful novice years. They also came onto the varsity team with a lot of spunk and a lot of gusto and weren’t intimidated.”

This year’s squad has also been able to pride itself on its inclusion of every class in the team dynamic. O’Driscoll said in previous years, the seniors have been an exclusive class, but this season the team works as one unit.

“This year we have a unique cohesiveness,” she said. “In past years, the classes have hung out together more. Seniors have hung out with seniors. This year we’re just one big squad, and we just all hang out with each other.”

With the necessary enthusiasm from underclassmen and leadership from the seniors, Robinson said this team is one that has a shot at bringing a national title to South Hill, just like her 2004 squad.

“When we have success, [the seniors] have to carry that over to the next group,” she said. “Success breeds success as long as somebody is there to pass that down.”