The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
San Diego Crew Classic
No. 9 Rowing Preview: San Diego Crew Classic
03.31.2016 | Rowing
Ninth-ranked Longhorns head to San Diego for their second regatta of the spring.
WHAT: No. 9 Texas heads to San Diego for the 43rd annual San Diego Crew Classic.
WHEN: Saturday-Sunday, April 2-3
WHERE: Mission Bay – San Diego, California
REGATTA WEB SITE: http://www.crewclassic.org
SCHEDULE
https://herenow.com/results/#/races/20203/schedule
RESULTS (look for "Texas Austin")
https://herenow.com/results/#/races/20203/results
HEATS (look for "Texas Austin")
https://herenow.com/results/#/races/20203/heats
PRE-REGATTA COMMENTS
Texas head coach Dave O'Neill
The team is in a pretty good spot as we head to San Diego. We had some good races last weekend, and I was impressed with how we handled everything, especially that second set of races after a short rest. We know the competition will be tough this weekend, and we'll be prepared to race hard. We have a lot of work to do and a long way to go, and the racing this weekend should help us in that process.
LAST YEAR AT THE SDCC
Texas enjoyed a productive stint at the 2015 San Diego Crew Classic and won two of its four finals races. The Longhorns defeated UCLA, USC and three other schools in the Collegiate 2V Grand Final (Jackie Ann Still Hungness Memorial Trophy race). Texas also defeated the likes of Stanford and USC in the open grand final.
The Longhorns also took a close second behind USC in the Collegiate Grand Final (1V8) and third in the Collegiate 4+ Varsity Grand Final (Karen Plumleigh Cortney Cup).
LAST TIME OUT
Texas won its four races against No. 16 Notre Dame and the four races against San Diego to make a clean sweep of the Longhorn Invitational (March 25-26) on Lady Bird Lake.
CRCA/USRowing Preseason Coaches Poll (March 29)
- Brown
- California
- Ohio State
- Virginia
- Yale
- Stanford
- Michigan
- Washington
- TEXAS
- Princeton
- Washington State
- Indiana
- Wisconsin
- USC
- Louisville
- Notre Dame
- Harvard
- Gonzaga
- Syracuse
- UCLA
LONGHORNS RIDE MOMENTUM FROM HISTORIC SEASON
Texas' momentous 2015 campaign has already created another milestone before the Longhorns' first official regatta of the spring. Fresh off of its breakthrough season under its then first-year coaching staff, Texas ranked a program-best No. 7 in the CRCA/USRowing preseason coaches poll. UT sat at No. 8 in last week's poll before moving to No. 9 in the March 29 rankings.
The Longhorns ranked as high as No. 11 last season before posting a program-best seventh-place team finish at the NCAA Championships, which marked the top finish ever by a Big 12 school in the event. The 2015 season yielded three All-America Longhorns in the form of Gia Doonan, Emily Froehlich and Pippa Loveard, who all return this season.
Doonan and Froehlich earned first-team All-America selections and joined Ruth Stiver as the only first-team All-Americans in program history. Loveard earned second-team honors on the Pocock Division I All-America Team.
Doonan also was named the 2015 Big 12 Rower of the Year while Froehlich was selected as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. The three All-Americans helped the Texas varsity eight boat to a school-best fourth place at the 2015 NCAA Championships.
Last season, Texas won its first Big 12 team title since 2012 and swept the Big 12 Championships for the first time since 2011.
The CRCA (College Rowing Coaches Association) lauded UT head coach Dave O'Neill as its National Coach of the Year, good for O'Neill's third such honor. The CRCA bestowed O'Neill's staff with its National Staff of the Year award, as well.
The staff included assistant coaches Mary Lenington and Mara Allen, special assistant Wendy /Wilbur, rigger boatman James Sands, graduate assistant Danielle Bartz and volunteer coaches Haley Adams and Natasia Giles. Lenington has since been promoted to associate head coach.
UPCOMING REGATTAS
Texas heads for the east coast in a couple of weeks when they take part in the annual Clemson Invite.
Texas will play host to No. 4 Virginia in a one-day dual on April 30 on Lady Bird Lake. The Longhorns will go for an automatic bid for the NCAA Championships two weeks later at the Big 12 Championship in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
The NCAA Championships return to Lake Natoma in Gold River, California, for a second straight year. The national championship is set for May 27-29.
