By Bei Jia Viggiano ’28
Sports Editor
As the sun begins to emerge from behind the clouds, the Mount Holyoke College rowing team is continuing its 2025-26 season. The first half took place in Oct. 2025, with three events spread across the month. The second half will be completed through April and May 2026, beginning on April 11.
“I’ve been on the team for 4 years now,” Holly Wrampelmeier ’26 began in an email to Mount Holyoke News. “I walked onto the team my freshman year and, despite never seeing a racing shell before in my life, made it on the team.”
The first event of the season was the Head of the Snake on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Shrewsbury, Mass. The Mount Holyoke varsity four finished in ninth place out of 16 boats in 18:42.4. For the women’s collegiate eights, the Lyons finished in 20th out of 25 boats in 16:55.1.
Next, on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, Mount Holyoke competed in the Head of the Charles, held in Boston, Mass. They placed 29th out of 40 boats with a time of 20:53.185.
The final event of the month was on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. The Wormtown Chase took place in Shrewsbury, Mass. The Mount Holyoke first varsity eights took eighth place in 18:34, while the Lyons second varsity eights finished in 18th with 20:01, of the 22 boats present. Lastly, the Mount Holyoke novice eight rounded fifth place of the five boats with a time of 24:19.
“The team had a very successful spring break training trip in Clemson, South Carolina,” Team Captain Elsa Kulatunga ’26 said in an email to Mount Holyoke News. “We trained intensively the whole week with great energy and focus, so we’re set up for a great spring season. As of today, we are transitioning from indoor to on-the-water practice here on the Connecticut River. We had a chilly morning row, but we’re looking forward to our first race [at Worcester Polytechnic Institute] this weekend!”
“We recently came back from our annual spring break training trip down in Clemson, [South Carolina],” Wrampelmeier said. “While the weather wasn’t quite as nice and sunny as we would have liked, we still got in some incredibly valuable meters and strokes together.”
Two days ago, on Saturday, April 11, the Lyons competed at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass. They will next travel on Saturday, April 18, to the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. The final event of this month is on Saturday, April 25, when the Lyons will attend the NEWMAC Championship in Shrewsbury, Mass.
“The team is going into the season with a killer drive and focus on the championship season,” Kulatunga continued. “We’re working hard and going fast! Our goal this season is to move up one or two spots within the conference. The team is in a transition period, with a relatively small roster. The small size of our team makes for a very tight-knit group, so the team culture is great. We’re pretty focused on recruiting for upcoming classes to expand the roster.”
“One of the rowing [team’s] biggest strengths has always been our team culture,” Wrampelmeier continued. “It’s why I keep coming back every year. I have made lifelong friends on this team, and they make every practice fun. You can come in wherever you are at, and everyone will be encouraging you to reach your next goal.”
To round off the 2025-26 season, Mount Holyoke rowing will compete at the New England Rowing Championships on Saturday, May 2, in Worcester, Mass, and the National Invitational Rowing Championships on Sunday, May 10, also in Worcester, Mass.
“We’re super excited to be back on [the] water and be racing soon,” Wrampelmeier finished. “Spring racing is where our season really ramps up, but I find that it is also the most rewarding. I know this team will always have my back, and we’re [going to] do our best to go as fast as we can together.”
“We’ll continue to get lots of meters in on the water and lots of heavy lifting done in the weight room,” Kulatunga concluded. “It’s going to be a fun racing season!”
Emelin Chuquimarca '28 contributed fact-checking.