No. 1 Rowing wins seventh consecutive Big 12 Championship

Sunday, May 15

Austin, Texas

9 A.M. CT

University of Texas

Big 12 Championship

No. 1 Rowing wins seventh consecutive Big 12 Championship

05.15.2022 | Rowing

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The Longhorns won the 11th Big 12 title in program history and earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship.

AUSTIN, Texas – No. 1 Texas Rowing swept five races at the Big 12 Championship to win their seventh consecutive conference title at Walter E. Long Lake on Sunday morning. The victory marks the 11th conference title in program history and the Longhorns' seventh consecutive sweep of the conference regatta.

Beautiful day to win ourselves a 🏆! #HookEm 🤘 pic.twitter.com/m0q97WedKh
— Texas Rowing (@TexasRowing) May 16, 2022

"We had a really good day, and I'm really proud of our team," said Texas head coach Dave O'Neill. "Winning the conference championship is truly meaningful as we know there are a number of teams and athletes who put in a lot of work throughout the year, and we're proud to represent the Big 12.

"In many ways we blew up our boating's the last couple weeks and took a look at different combinations. Ultimately, we came back to the same lineups we had two weeks ago. Everyone raced hard, and it was good to see the progress some boats had made."

The clean sweep netted the Longhorns 98 points in the final Big 12 team standings and automatically qualified UT for the NCAA Championships.

"The event as a whole was really impressive. I thought the Big 12 and the Texas staff did a great job," O'Neill said. "This was our first year hosting the championship with fans in attendance, and it was great to see such a strong turnout. It made for a terrific racing environment."

Following an 3V4 exhibition won be the Longhorns, the Texas Third Eight took to the water and got out to a quick lead in the first 250 meters of the 2,000-meter course with a three-quarter boat length advantage. The Longhorns had open water by 500 meters and extended it to a full boat length of open water at the midway point. Texas pushing the lead wider throughout the reminder race, winning in 6:54.670, followed by Kansas at 7:17.774 and Alabama in 7:20.881.

"The third eight has been great all year and really shows the depth of our team," O'Neill noted. "They're really fast and impressive. There are six freshmen in the boat, and they've done a great job all year long."

The Second Varsity Four followed with a dominating performance, winning with a time of 7:29.734, over 34 seconds faster than runner-up Alabama (8:04.063) with Oklahoma (8:10.047) placing third.

Texas collected its next victory in the First Four, posting a time of 7:31.219 to top second-place finisher Alabama (7:54.922). Kansas State took third with a time of 8:02.905.

"We have two very good fours, which is clear by the times they both put up," O'Neill said. "Everyone is doing their best and going fast. We have some decisions to make in the week ahead since only one four races at NCAAs."

In the Second Eight, the Longhorns topped Tennessee by almost 23 seconds, crossing the line at 6:43.714 to the Volunteers 7:06.389. Alabama finished third with a time of 7:10.106.

"The second eight stepped up and might have had their best race of the season. I'm proud of the work and effort each of them had put into making this work," O'Neill said. "Marielle Corbett and Parker Illingworth, in particular, made some big steps this week and add a lot to the boat. As a whole that unit is heading in the right direction."

The First Varsity Eight secured the sweep and the conference crown with a win in the final race of the morning, clocking a time of 6:29.543, while Tennessee and Alabama had a hard-fought battle for second with the Vols coming out in front 6:53.612 to 6:53.892.

"The first eight did really well, and it was a little too bad there was such a strong headwind," O'Neill said. "They've shown some good speed, so it was too bad the time didn't fully reflect what they're doing. Our stern pair of Kate Knifton and Fran Raggi do some special things and really know how to move a boat."

Sunday Funday! Tower Lighting scenes with @Rayyrane 🏆🤘🔥#HereComesTexas | #HookEm pic.twitter.com/BxC9Kab0kF
— Texas Rowing (@TexasRowing) May 17, 2022

Texas next heads to the 2022 NCAA Championship where the Longhorns will look to defend their national title. The national championship regatta will take place Friday, May 27 to Sunday, May 29 at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla. where UT captured the crown last year.

The NCAA will reveal the rest of the field for the NCAA Championship during the Division I Rowing Selection Show to air on Tuesday, May 17 at 4 p.m. CT on NCAA.com.

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Team Results
1. TEXAS – 98 points
2. Alabama – 73
3. Tennessee – 68
4. Oklahoma – 47
5. Kansas – 45
6. Kansas State – 40
7. West Virginia – 21

I Eight Results
1. TEXAS - 6:29.543
2. Tennessee - 6:53.612
3. Alabama - 6:53.892
4. Oklahoma - 6:59.665
5. Kansas - 7:03.654
6. Kansas State - 7:16.950
7. West Virginia - 7:31.163

II Eight Results
1. TEXAS - 6:43.714
2. Tennessee - 7:06.389
3. Alabama - 7:10.106
4. Kansas - 7:15.247
5. Kansas State - 7:16.775
6. Oklahoma - 7:22.931
7. West Virginia - 7:25.843

I Four Results
1. TEXAS - 7:31.219
2. Alabama - 7:54.922
3. Kansas State - 8:02.905
4. Oklahoma - 8:08.840
5. West Virginia - 8:09.664
6. Kansas - 8:10.773
7. Tennessee - 8:20.201

II Four Results
1. TEXAS - 7:29.734
2. Alabama - 8:04.063
3. Oklahoma - 8:10.047
4. West Virginia - 8:14.505
5. Kansas - 8:21.447
6. Kansas State - 8:26.162
7. Tennessee - 8:30.716

III Eight Results
1. TEXAS - 6:54.670
2. Kansas - 7:17.774
3. Alabama - 7:20.881
4. Kansas State - 7:32.107
5. Tennessee - 7:37.174
6. Oklahoma - 7.41.637
7. West Virginia - 8:18.382

III Four Results (Exhibition)
1. TEXAS - 7:46.496
2. Alabama - 8:26.921

LINEUPS
First Eight: Rachel Rane (coxswain), Kaitlin Knifton (stroke) Francesca Raggi, Aspa Christodoulidis, Etta Carpender, Anna Jensen, Susanna Temming, Sophia Calabrese, Lisa Gutfleisch (bow)