As the fall leaves prepare to fly, the Ithaca College sculling team looks to continue its dominance after the women’s rowing team won its eighth consecutive Liberty League Championship title in Spring 2025. The Bombers are led by head coach Beth Greene, who is now in her second year coaching the team.
Greene said she was proud of the work that the team put in last year and loved the competitive nature her athletes gave the team.
“I was very lucky with the seniors and top varsity that I had last year,” Greene said. “I think that their maturity and just their competitiveness made it a successful season.”
For the Bombers, a new season means two new captains. One of them is senior Emma Thorne, who said she aims to emulate previous captains’ tactics and wisdom, hoping the team will follow her lead this season.
“Following in the shoes of past captains, we’ve had some very good leadership,” Thorne said. “I think just being there for everyone and showing up myself. You have to show up for yourself in order for people to follow you. And I think just being open in there, and working with my other captain, and showing a good example.”
The other captain, senior Emmeline Robinson, said she wants to eliminate the uncertain feelings of last season and maintain confidence at the same time.
“Last year, our biggest issue was trusting in ourselves,” Robinson said. “I really want to build that up, and make sure people know what they’re capable of and that we can do it. We need to have faith in our process and trust that we are capable of being faster than these other teams we’re going against.”
With a team that has a strong legacy, there are many things to be excited about this fall for the sculling squad. Thorne, however, is simply eager to be back in the water.
“I’m just excited to compete, I think it’s really fun,” Thorne said. “It’s very high stress, but once you cross the line, it’s a lot of fun. Being with your team, and winning with your teammates, and crossing that line.”
Greene said she is excited about all the new faces she will see competing for her team this fall.
“We have a very big incoming recruited class of first-years,” Greene said. “Traditionally, we get a lot of walk-on novices, so we will teach people from scratch, but we basically have a full eight of experienced freshmen coming in. Some of them have some really good height and size, and I’m excited to see that.”
With all the first-years coming in, there are many new hands to shake for the captains. As one of the captains, Robinson said she aims to reach out to new people and find common interests among each teammate.
“I often try to reach out to people or talk to someone new before practice and just get to know something about them,” Robinson said. “The time that we spend doing bonding events outside of the team [is really important]. If you can just find one thing in common, it’s a good place to build relationships with the newer members.”
As a message to IC sports fans, Greene emphasized that anyone can participate in the sport, regardless of experience. She said she promotes accessibility to watch the games as well. She wants viewers to imagine themselves in the middle of the action because she believes anybody can join a rowing team.
“I think it’s a sport where it’s really easy to be able to picture yourself there,” Greene said. “You can just walk on and join our team, and we’ll give you a shot. And if you want to do the work, we’ll take it. … I watch a basketball game, and I’m like, I can’t pivot like that. I know I can’t. But the idea of showing up day after day and having a community of people who are like, ‘Hey, you can do this. … And there’s this path right along the inlet. That’s a great Saturday morning, following races on the path. You can scream, and the athletes can actually hear you. … It’s very ambient. It’s a pleasant sport to watch.”
