No. 2 Rowing wins sixth consecutive Big 12 Championship

Saturday, May 15

Austin, Texas

8:15 a.m. CT

University of Texas

Big 12 Championships

No. 2 Rowing wins sixth consecutive Big 12 Championship

05.15.2021 | Rowing

The Longhorns won the 10th Big 12 title in program history and an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship.

AUSTIN, Texas – No. 2 Rowing swept all four races at the Big 12 Championship to win their sixth straight conference title on Saturday morning on Walter E. Long Lake. It is the 10th Big 12 championship in program history and the sixth consecutive sweep.

The clean sweep of the finals netted the Longhorns 167 points in the final Big 12 team standings while taking first place in the NCAA automatic qualifier standings with 42 points.

"We had a terrific morning, and I'm really pleased with the way everyone raced. We had some hurdles to get over this week, and it's been impressive to see people step up and be willing to do whatever is best for the team," said Texas head coach Dave O'Neill. "We have an incredibly deep squad, and the four crews that raced did an outstanding job representing the team as a whole."

Texas opened the championship regatta in dominant fashion, with the I Eight setting the tone for the day by crossing the 2,000-meter finish line at 6:43.279, 13.628 seconds faster than second-place Alabama (6:56.907) with Tennessee placing third (7:03.563).

In the II Eight Final, Texas cruised to the line first, finishing with a time of 6:52.303, followed by Tennessee (7:10.357) and Alabama (7:15.364).

Texas' I Four took command of their race early and maintained their lead throughout to win with a time of 7:51.683. Alabama placed second with a time of 8:06.949, while Tennessee finished third at 8:16.405.

The Texas II Four sealed the championship for Texas, winning with a time of 7:34.774, more than 20 seconds in front of runner-up Alabama (7:55.061).

"Hosting this event for the first time took a lot of work, and I'm grateful to everyone who made this happen," O'Neill said. "Texas Athletics was committed to building a legitimate seven-lane race course just a few miles from campus, and it was cool to see it come to reality."

Texas next heads to the NCAA Championships, which will be held at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla., Friday-Sunday, May 28-30. Texas has finished in the top-8 in each of the last five NCAA Championship regattas, improving from fourth to third to second in the last three contests.

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS:
Team Results
1. Texas – 167 points
2. Alabama – 141 points
3. Tennessee – 133 points
4. Oklahoma – 91 points
5. Kansas State – 87 points
6. Kansas – 77 points
7. West Virginia – 51 points

I Eight
1. Texas – 6:43.279
2. Alabama – 6:56.907
3. Tennessee – 7:03.563
4. Oklahoma – 7:14.121
5. Kansas – 7:17.945
6. Kansas State – 7:22.346
7. West Virginia – 7:39.878

II Eight
1. Texas – 6:52.303
2. Tennessee – 7:10.357
3. Alabama – 7:15.364
4. Kansas State – 7:30.269
5. Oklahoma – 7:31.346
6. West Virginia – 7:34.560
7. Kansas – 7:36.074

I Four
1. Texas – 7:51.683
2. Alabama – 8:06.949
3. Tennessee – 8:16.405
4. Kansas State – 8:20.052
5. Kansas – 8:25.400
6. Oklahoma – 8:32.786
7. West Virginia – 8:55.171

II Four
1. Texas – 7:34.774
2. Alabama – 7:55.061
3. Tennessee – 8:03.510
4. Kansas – 8:18.583
5. K-State – 8:24.141
6. Oklahoma – 8:38.406

LINEUPS:
I Eight – Rachel Rane (coxswain), Kaitlin Knifton (stroke), Francesca Raggi, Alexandra Watson, Aspa Christodoulidis, Daisy Mazzio-Manson, Anna Jensen, Susanna Temming, Lisa Gutfleisch (bow)