No. 1 Rowing advances all three boats to A/B Semifinals of NCAA Championships

Friday, May 28

Sarasota, Fla.

8 a.m. CT/9 a.m. ET

University of Texas

NCAA Championships

No. 1 Rowing advances all three boats to A/B Semifinals of NCAA Championships

05.28.2021 | Rowing

Results

The Longhorns swept their NCAA Championship heats for the first time in program history.

SARASOTA, Fla. – No. 1 Texas rowing swept through the heats of the 2021 NCAA Rowing Championships on Friday morning to advance all three boats to Saturday's A/B semifinals in the opening day of competition at Nathan Benderson Park.

It is the first time Texas has won all three heat races at an NCAA Championship and the fourth straight championship in which the Longhorns' three boats finished in the top-two heat positions.

"The NCAA Championship can be a real grind, with some tough racing three days in a row. It feels good to have accomplished what we needed to do on day one," said Texas head coach Dave O'Neill. This was the first NCAA Championship race for much of our team, and I'm really impressed with how everyone handled everything."

The Longhorns' I Eight set the tone early, posting a time of 6:15.586, the fourth sub-6:16 mark of the year, to defeat runner-up Brown (6:22.956) by more than seven seconds.

Texas' II Eight took command early and increased their lead throughout the race, registering a time of 6:29.352 to best second-place finisher California's time of 6:36.33 over the 2,000-meter course.

The Fours closed out the day with a dominant performance, winning by double-digits over runner-up Brown 7:03.718 to 7:14.346.

"All of our boats raced exactly to plan," O'Neill said. "It's now all about preparing for the next step."

Texas' I Eight will race in the A/B semifinals on Saturday at 7:36 a.m. CT (8:36 a.m. ET). The II Eight will race at 8:36 a.m. CT (9:36 a.m. ET) and the Four will compete at 9:24 a.m. CT (10:24 a.m. ET).

RESULTS
I Eight, Heat 1
1. TEXAS - 6:15.586
2. Brown - 6:22.956
3. California - 6:23.838
4. Princeton - 6:28.384
5. Tennessee - 6:33. 626

II Eight, Heat 2
1. TEXAS - 6:29.352
2. California - 6:36.338
3. Rutgers - 6:42.092
4. Washington State - 6:51.970
5. Navy - 7:08.466

Fours, Heat 2
1. TEXAS - 7:03.718
2. Brown - 7:14.346
3. Princeton - 7:20.680
4. Tennessee - 7:34.082
5. Gonzaga - 7:40.490

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)