The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Championships
No. 1 Rowing preview: NCAA Championship
05.26.2021 | Rowing
The Longhorns head to the 2021 NCAA Championship Regatta as the top seed in the First Eight and second seed in the Second Eight and Fours.
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 1 Texas Rowing heads to Sarasota, Fla. this weekend for the 2021 NCAA Rowing Championships at Nathan Benderson Park. The 24th NCAA regatta is being held Friday, May 28 – Sunday, May 30. Texas is the top seed in the First Eight and the second seed in the Second Eight and the Fours.
The Longhorns have registered top-eight results in each of the last five NCAA Championship Regattas, including program-best results in each of the last three with Texas finishing fourth in 2017, third in 2018 and second in 2019.
When: May 28-30, 2021
Where: Nathan Benderson Park, Sarasota, Fla.
Field: Alabama, Brown, California, Duke, Gonzaga, Marist, Michigan, Navy, Northeastern, Ohio State, Princeton, Rhode Island, Rutgers, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin
Watch: NCAA Championships Live
Live Results: hookem.at/ROW21_NCAAresults
Texas Rowing Fact Book
Schedule
Friday, May 28 – Heats
8:00 a.m. CT (9:00 a.m. ET) – First Eight, Heat 1
Lane 1: Brown
Lane 2: Princeton
Lane 3: Texas
Lane 4: California
Lane 5: Tennessee
9:00 a.m. CT (10:00 a.m. ET) – Second Eight, Heat 2
Lane 1: Navy
Lane 2: California
Lane 3: Texas
Lane 4: Rutgers
Lane 5: Washington State
9:48 a.m. CT (10:48 a.m. ET) – Varsity Four, Heat 2
Lane 1: Gonzaga
Lane 2: Princeton
Lane 3: Texas
Lane 4: Brown
Lane 5: Tennessee
Saturday, May 29 – Semifinals
7:36 and 7:48 a.m. CT (8:36 and 8:48 a.m. ET) – First Eight, A/B Semifinals
8:24 and 8:36 a.m. CT (9:24 and 9:36 a.m. ET) – Second Eight, A/B Semifinals
9:12 and 9:24 a.m. CT (10:12 and 10:24 a.m. ET) – Varsity Four, A/B Semifinals
Sunday, May 30 – Finals
9:00 a.m. CT (10:00 a.m. ET) – Varsity Four, Grand Final
9:24 a.m. CT (10:24 a.m. ET) – Second Eight, Grand Final
9:48 a.m. CT (10:48 a.m. ET) – First Eight, Grand Final
Format/Scoring
The NCAA Rowing champion is determined by total points with points assigned based on the finish in each race. The first-place finisher in the First Varsity Eight will receive 66 points with each subsequent finisher collecting three fewer points – 63 for second, 60 for third, etc. The Second Varsity Eight winner will earn 44 points with each successive finisher collecting two fewer points (42 points for second, 40 points for third, etc.) and the Fours winner will receive 22 points, with the runner-up earning 21 points, third receiving 20 points, etc. Ties will be broken based on the teams' result in the First Eight.
NCAA Championship History
Texas placed a program-best second overall at the 2019 NCAA Championships, collecting 125 points with all three boats finishing in the top three for the first time in program history. The team finish marks Texas' third consecutive year of besting its previous record in NCAA Championship finishes. The First Eight finished second in the grand final, the Second Eight placed second overall, and the Four finished third in the grand final.
The Longhorns finished third in the 2018 NCAA Championships, sending all three boats to the grand final for the first time. The First Eight placed third overall, the Second Eight finished fifth overall, and the Four placed fourth, totaling 115 points.
In 2017, Texas placed fourth overall with 108 points in the final team standings at the 2017 NCAA Championships. Texas placed fourth in the First Eight grand final, first in the Second Eight petite final (seventh place overall) and fourth in the Fours grand final.
The Longhorns placed eighth as a team at the 2016 NCAA Championships. Texas announced its presence at the 2015 NCAA Championships and finished seventh overall in the 22-team regatta with 99 points.
The Longhorns placed fourth in the First Eight grand final, second in the Second Eight petite final and fifth in the Fours petite final at the 2015 NCAA Championships.
Texas sent its varsity eight boats to compete at the 2003 and 2004 NCAA Championship regattas but had not been invited to compete at the Championships as a team until the Longhorns' breakthrough season in 2015. The Texas varsity eight placed sixth in its petite final (6:28.65) at the 2003 NCAA Championship but did not reach a final at the 2004 NCAA Championships.
Texas' All-Time NCAA Team Finishes
2019 – 2nd
2018 – 3rd
2017 – 4th
2016 – 8th
2015 – 7th
A Look at the Longhorns
Texas swept all four races at the Big 12 Championship to win the program's sixth consecutive conference crown and the 10th title in the 12 years the regatta has been held. It was the Longhorns' sixth consecutive sweep of the conference championship.
The Longhorn First Eight, Second Eight, First Four and Second Four boats have yet to lose a race this year, sweeping all four races in duals at Michigan and Virginia and four races in the Big 12 Championship, as well as all heat and finals races at the Longhorn Invite.
Big 12 Rower of the Year
Alexandra Watson was named the Big 12 Rower of the Year, the fifth Longhorn to earn Rower of the Year honors. A four-time Big 12 champion and two-time All-Big 12 honoree, Watson rowed with the First Eight throughout the season, helping guide Texas to victories in all five of their races, including a course-record 6:15.20 at then-No. 3 Virginia. The 2020 Honda Inspiration Award finalist raced with five different lineups and three different strokes. In addition to her skill and power, she became the emotional leader of the team, helping the First Eight earn two Big 12 Boat of the Week honors during the season.
All-Big 12 Honors
Alexandra Watson and Aspa Christodoulidis led a total of six Longhorns named to the All-Big 12 team. Watson and Christodoulidis each collected their second all-conference honor after previously earning the distinction in 2019. Daisy Mazzio-Manson, Kaitlin Knifton, Francesca Raggi and coxswain Rachel Rane were first-time all-conference honorees. Rane served as the coxswain for the First Eight in the Big 12 Championship as well as in the victory over No. 3 Virginia on May 2. Knifton, Raggi, Watson, Christodoulidis and Mazzio-Manson have raced as the stern five in each competition this season. The Longhorns had six All-Big 12 honorees for the sixth consecutive championship regatta.
Big 12 Newcomer of the Year
Anna Jensen was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, the third Longhorn to garner Newcomer of the Year honors and the first since 2016. The only freshman rowing with the First Eight, Jensen first began rowing as a junior in high school, quickly picking up the sport and becoming a key contributor on the team. In addition to being part of the two First Eight boats to earn Big 12 Boat of the Week honors, the freshman was a member of the Second Eight boat the earned the weekly honor following their win over Michigan to start the season.
Big 12 Coach of the Year
Dave O'Neill was named Big 12 Coach of the Year for the fifth time in six seasons with the Longhorns. He led Texas to a sixth consecutive sweep in the Big 12 Championship and guided the team to a No. 1 national ranking for the first time in program history. The Longhorns went undefeated this season, including sweeps in top 10 wins at No. 3 Virginia and No. 7 Michigan, as well as a sweep of all five final races at the Longhorn Invite.
Texas in the Polls
Texas Rowing garnered the No. 1 ranking for the first time in program history in this year's final USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Division I regular-season poll.
Texas opened at No. 2 in the season's first USRowing/CRCA Coaches Poll on March 3 and had held steady in the second spot in each subsequent poll. Defending NCAA champion and previously top-ranked Washington fell to second after holding the number one spot in 20 consecutive polls. Stanford moved up one spot to the third position, while Virginia and Michigan rounded out the top five in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Pocock USRowing/CRCA Division I Rankings – May 19
1 TEXAS (9) - 486
2 Washington (16) - 480
3 Stanford - 439
4 Virginia - 430
5 Michigan - 410
6 Ohio State - 355
7 Rutgers - 348
8 California - 302
9 Syracuse - 251
10 Duke - 246
11 Princeton - 236
12 SMU - 216
13 Alabama - 205
14 Tennessee - 169
15 Wisconsin - 121
16 Washington State - 104
17 Oregon State - 93
18 Indiana - 91
19 Brown - 87
20 Minnesota - 56
Players Mentioned
