No. 4 Rowing wins Big 12 Championship

Sunday, May 19

Oak Ridge, TN

ALL DAY

University of Texas

Big 12 Championship (Finals)

05.19.2019 | Rowing

The Longhorns swept all races to earn a fifth consecutive conference title and automatic berth to the NCAA Championship.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — On Sunday morning, the No. 4 University of Texas Rowing team claimed its fifth consecutive Big 12 title and ninth overall, sweeping all races in Oak Ridge.

"I was really impressed with the way everyone raced today," said head coach Dave O'Neill. "The overall speed in the conference increased this year, so each boat was ready to go flat out, which what they did. This conference win is the culmination of months of hard work by a lot people, and I'm truly grateful for the effort by everyone."

The 2019 Big 12 Championship featured one day of seven-lane racing on Melton Hill Lake. In 2018, the Longhorns picked up their eighth Conference championship in the last 10 years.

The third four raced first, commanding their lead position in lane four before jetting off to a 7:22.730 win, 18 seconds ahead of second place Alabama. The Longhorns' third eight also executed a solid win, finishing with a time of 6:42.108, ahead of Alabama (6:56.378) and Oklahoma (6:58.102).

The Texas second four closed a tight race against Oklahoma, crossing the line at 7:28.132. The first four claimed first at 7:31.335, beating second place Alabama (7:38.416) and third place Kansas State (7:43.712).

The varsity eights cruised to the line first with open water, picking up major team points to secure a Texas victory. The second eight finished at 6:38.439, ahead of a strong Kansas State crew (6:51.353) and the first eight pulled a 6:25.872, reaching the line before rival Oklahoma (6:40.582).

Coach O'Neill stated: "Our first eight is definitely better crew than just a couple weeks ago, and the team as a whole is performing at a high level."

The Longhorns additionally received the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Rowing Championship in Indianapolis at the end of the month.

"We're in a pretty spot heading into NCAAs," said O'Neill. "Each boat has had some impressive results throughout the year, and they're getting faster. It's too bad the wind picked up for some of the races because a number of those crews would have put up some pretty fast times."

Results:

I Eight: 1) TEXAS 6:25.872, 2) Oklahoma 6:40.582, 3) Alabama 6:43.054, 4) Kansas 6:46.154, 5) Tennessee 6:46.807, 6) Kansas St. 6:53.639, 7) West Virginia 7:06.755

II Eight: 1) TEXAS 6:38.439, 2) Kansas St. 6:51.353, 3) Alabama 6:52.635, 4) Oklahoma 6:54.214, 5) Kansas 6:58.460, 6) Tennessee 7:01.132, 7) West Virginia 7:29.974

I Four: 1) TEXAS 7:31.335, 2) Alabama 7:38.416, 3) Kansas St. 7:43.712, 4) Oklahoma 7:44.624, 5) Tennessee 7:45.766, 6) Kansas 7:55.013, 7) West Virginia 8:10.378

II Four: 1) TEXAS 7:28.132, 2) Oklahoma 7:33.659, 3) Alabama 7:42.468, 4) Kansas 7:53.813, 5) Tennessee 7:57.777, 6) Kansas St. 7:59.047, 7) West Virginia 8:04.860

III Eight: 1) TEXAS 6:42.108, 2) Alabama 6:56.378, 3) Oklahoma 6:58.102, 4) Tennessee 7:01.625, 5) Kansas St. 7:05.733, 6) Kansas 7:16.436, 7) West Virginia 7:39.009

III Four (Exhibition): 1) TEXAS 7:22.730, 2) Alabama 7:40.988, 3) Kansas 7:42.796, 4) Oklahoma 7:57.278

Big 12 Rowing Automatic Qualifying Team Scores:

1. TEXAS 42

2. Alabama 31

3. Oklahoma 30

4. K-State 23

5. Kansas 20

6. Tennessee 16

7. West Virginia 6

Big 12 Rowing Championship Team Scores:

1. TEXAS 137

2. Oklahoma 106