LANCASTER, Pa.- The Franklin & Marshall women's rowing team looks towards Saturday's Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference (MARC) Championship where F&M will compete in the first Varsity 8+, second Varsity 8+, and Novice 4+ events. The team will look to follow up on a sixth-place finish at the championship in 2025. 

The Spring So Far

F&M has entered into four regattas so far in 2026, beginning with the Skidmore Sprints in early April. The regatta featured Skidmore, Williams, Wellesley, and fellow MARC school Bryn Mawr. F&M claimed fifth place in the first Varsity 8+ event, while the second Varsity 8+ crew finished in third place in their race. The Diplomats also raced in the Novice 4+ event, earning fourth place.

The Diplomats next event was the two-day Knecht Cup, where F&M entered two Varsity 8+ crews and one Varsity 4+ crew. The first Varsity 8+ lineup ended the event with a third-place result in the Division III Petite Final, while the second Varsity 8+ crew was unable to compete in their Petite Final due to equipment failure. They finished in fourth place in their heat. F&M's Varsity 4+ crew earned second place in the Division III Petite Final.

F&M's next event was the Upper Schuylkill Challenge against fellow MARC programs in Bryn Mawr, St. Mary's (Md.) and Stockton. The team entered two Varsity 8+ lineups, and each claimed fourth place in their events. 

The final regatta ahead of MARCS was last week's Gifford Pinchot Sprints, where F&M claimed two event wins. The Diplomats won the first Varsity 8+ event in a race against Carnegie Mellon, Binghamton, and Scranton, while the Novice 4+ crew won their race against Binghamton and Scranton. The second Varsity 8+ crew were fourth in their race. 

F&M's most-common Varsity 8+ crew has featured Ruth Donohue, Savanna Maness, Kate Smith, Nancy Nguyen, Sarah Blum, Louise Truong, Skyler Houghton, and Audrey Zawoiski plus Lauren Caltrider as the crew's coxswain. 

The Diplomats' second Varsity 8+ has included Yvette Wang, Araya Vastani, Zoey Zhao, Maya Beda, Amy Ni, Claire Axelrod, Elizabeth Ripperger, Hazel Abello, and Brigitte Chen, while both Manal Fatima and Macy Bush have served as coxswain.

The team's Novice 4+ crew has included Autumn Lingle, Ripperger, Elena Jenkins, Blum, Iman Hasnani, and Bush as coxswain.

2025 MARC Performance

The Diplomats earned sixth place in last year's MARC Championship, totaling 14 points. The team claimed a sixth-place finish in the Varsity 8+ final and a fourth-place finish from a novice crew entered into the Varsity 4+ Final. 

MARC Schedule

• Women Varsity 8+ Heat: 9:00 a.m.
• Women's 2nd Varsity 8+ Heat: 9:50 a.m.
• Women's Novice 4+ Final: 10:50 a.m.
• Women's 2nd Varsity 8+ Final: 1:20 p.m.
• Women's Varsity 8+ Petite Final & Final: 1:40 p.m. & 1:50 p.m.