The distance in racing may change from sculling in the fall, but the goals remain the same this spring for the Ithaca College women’s rowing team. With national championship aspirations on the line, a new head coach and a legacy of national success, much is at stake this season for the Bombers.
Coming off a fifth place finish at the 2024 NCAA Division III Rowing Championships, the team looks to return to Nationals this season and best its finish from last spring. Since the South Hill squad secured its first of many trips to nationals in 2002, the Bombers have competed at 20 NCAA Championships, capturing National Championships in back-to-back seasons in 2004 and 2005. The 2024 season was the team’s lowest finish since the 2019 season, when they also finished fifth.
Head coach Beth Greene ʼ00 is entering her first rowing season at the helm, after working with former head coach Becky Robinson ʼ88 as the team’s assistant coach for 14 years. Greene is looking to continue the successful foundation that Robinson built during her 30 years at the college. She said the team is returning six athletes from last spring’s varsity boat and the fall’s sculling crew, who are all hungry to have another crack at competing at the highest level.
“They got there and they were fifth and once you’re there and you see how close the other teams are and [are] the same size as you, you get a taste of going,” Greene said. “It seems like a realistic thing that people actually do. Someone goes and someone wins, [so] why not us?”
Two returning athletes are senior Maggie Farber and graduate student Emma Hammel. Farber echoed Greene’s sentiment of securing the automatic bid to Nationals because winning the Liberty League Championship Tournament locks in a higher seed for the team. She said the team hopes to continue to raise the program’s bar for future seasons.
“That placement that we’ve achieved in the past is definitely a motivator for us to keep striving to do better and move up spots and work hard,” Farber said.
Farber has been a member of the first varsity boat in all three of her previous seasons from 2022-24. She said she is excited to lead her team into a new season with her national-level experience.
“To reel it in and then go all out racing is really fun in a big boat with a team that you trust and love,” Farber said. “We have a really good team culture, and I want everyone to kind of have a united front, so individually, trying to bring everybody together to work hard and do their best.”
Hammel, like Farber, is going into her final season with the team after competing through all of her undergraduate years. She said that she understands that she has to set the tone and that it is her last opportunity to demonstrate what the team can accomplish.
“I think the stakes for NCAAs are really high because we have that history of excellence in our program,” Hammel said. “We have National Championships. Everyone on the team knows what it feels like to win, so it just makes us hungry.”
The Bombers’ 2025 slate features five regattas leading up to the Liberty League Championship Tournament on May 2. at Saratoga Springs, New York. Greene said the team’s Liberty League opponents are looking to dethrone the Bombers. She said the team’s toughest competition will feature the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers, the William Smith College Herons and the Skidmore College Thoroughbreds. The team is scheduled to host a dual match against its rival Tigers, at 10 a.m. April 5 at the Cayuga Inlet. The Bombers look to hold their position at the top and clinch their seventh consecutive Liberty League Championship on their way to another nationals appearance.
With the varsity eight losing Erin Trojan ʼ24, Laura Trainor ʼ24 and Taylor Volmrich ʼ24, the opportunity presents itself for the underclassmen to fill those gaps. Greene said that despite the upperclassmen-heavy varsity eight, the team has high hopes of young representation at the top of the roster in the future.
“Beth Roberts is going to be on the edge [and] she has potential to crack into that top eight,” Greene said. “[She is] very serious [and] very hard on herself. I think Calla Bobak is also mature beyond her age. It’s going to be a contest between freshmen coxswains to see who’s going to earn the spot in the second varsity eight, which will be a boat that competes at [Nationals], if we hit that spot.”
One key component that has contributed to the Bombers’ consistent success has been the depth of the team’s roster, which has allowed them to build a strong set of boats behind the first and second varsity squads. At the 2024 Liberty League Championship, the Bombers swept the competition, winning all four entered events in the 1V, 2V, V4 and Novice 8 finals, showcasing the team’s young talent.
Greene said the strong recruiting by assistant coach Gregg Seiz has put the team in a great position for each athlete to push each other to grow. Greene said the team is hoping to build its roster up from its current size, creating more opportunities to add depth within the team.
“A deeper pool creates more competition within the team, and everyone gets stronger,” Greene said. “I think with the athletes that we do have, if they can embrace a more consistent [hard-working environment] when we’re here together, the training is great.”
Hammel said the dedication of the team, from top to bottom, creates an unbeatable atmosphere that brings out the best in each athlete. She said the team’s cohesion is a convincing factor in boosting each athlete’s confidence.
“You’re looking for everyone in the boat,” Hammel said. “It’s such a team sport that when you’re really struggling in the second half of the race, and you really don’t think you can keep going, you’re looking at seven other girls who are struggling just as hard as you, and you’re all working together for each other.”
