The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
San Diego Crew Classic
No. 1 Rowing preview: San Diego Crew Classic
03.31.2023 | Rowing
Texas begins the season in California in the historic San Diego Crew Classic.
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 1 Texas Rowing travels to the West Coast for the historic San Diego Crew Classic from April 1-2. Racing will take place over a 2,000-meter course on Fiesta Bay-Crown Point Shores of Mission Bay Park in San Diego, California. The San Diego Crew Classic is largely referred to as America's premier spring regatta, featuring junior, collegiate, adaptive and masters racing.
Texas' First Eight is among nine boats invited to race for the Collegiate Varsity Jessop-Whittier Cup. The field includes Pac-12 powers No. 2 Stanford, No. 5 Washington, No. 7 California, No. 16 USC and Washington State, as well as Notre Dame, Oxford Brooks and Rowing Canada.
The Second Eight will compete for the Women's Collegiate 2V Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy and the Four will race for the Women's Collegiate Varsity 4+ Karen Plumleigh Cortney Cup. The Longhorns will also race a Third Eight boat in the Women's Open 8+ Carley Copley Cup.
The Longhorns were victorious in each event last year with the Longhorns sweeping the heats and finals.
When: April 1-2, 2023
Where: Fiesta Bay-Crown Point Shores of Mission Bay Park, San Diego, Calif.
Results: https://hookem.at/SDcrew23results
Watch: https://hookem.at/SDcrewclassic23
Regatta Information: https://crewclassic.org/
Tentative Race Schedule
Saturday, April 1
I Eight: Women's Collegiate Varsity Jessop-Whittier Cup Invitational
11:30 a.m. CT/9:30 a.m. PT – Heat 1 of 2 (Line 1)
II Eight: Women's Collegiate 2V Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy
12:49 p.m. CT/10:49 a.m. PT – Heat 2 of 2 (Line 1)
Four: Women's Collegiate Varsity 4+ Karen Plumleigh Cortney Cup
12:26 p.m. CT/10:26 a.m. PT – Heat 1 of 2 (Line 1)
III Eight: Women's Open Carley Copley Cup
1:38 p.m. CT /11:38 a.m. PT – Heat 1 of 2 (Line 1)
Sunday, April 2
I Eight: Women's Collegiate Varsity Jessop-Whittier Cup Invitational
Final – 11:55 a.m. CT/9:55 a.m. PT
Final B – 12:51 p.m. CT/10:51 a.m. PT
II Eight: Women's Collegiate 2V Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy
Final – 12:30 p.m. CT/10:30 a.m. PT
Final B – 1:12 p.m. CT/11:12 a.m. PT
Four: Women's Collegiate Varsity 4+ Karen Plumleigh Cortney Cup
Final – 12:23 p.m. CT/10:23 a.m. PT
Final B – 1:05 p.m. CT/11:05 a.m. PT
III Eight: Women's Open Carley Copley Cup
Final – 2:10 p.m. CT/12:10 p.m. PT
Final B – 2:26 p.m. CT/12:26 p.m. PT
A Look at the Longhorns
The two-time defending national champion and seven-time defending Big 12 Conference champion Longhorns return three student-athletes who earned CRCA All-American recognition following last year's title run. Rowers Kaitlin Knifton and Anna Jensen and coxswain Rachel Rane lead the way for Texas. All three were integral members of the Texas First Eight that cruised to victory over Stanford in at the NCAA Championships Grand Final to capture the second title in program history.
Texas' First Eight enters the 2023 campaign unbeaten in its previous 19 races with a head-to-head record of 65-0 since the streak began at the start of the 2021 season.
Additionally, 2022 Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Year Grace Holland, who helped the Longhorns Second Eight to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, will be in the fold for Texas this season.
All told, 16 of the 20 rowers and all three coxswains who competed in the 2022 National Championship regatta are back.
Also returning from last year's champion First Eight boat are Etta Carpender, Susanna Temming and Sophia Calabrese, while returners from the Second Eight crew will be rowers Hannah Medcalf, Amber Harwood, Lanie Nitsch, Parker Illingworth, Marielle Corbett and Cassandre Korvink-Kucinski and coxswain Olivia Fogarty. Back from the Four is coxswain Carly Legenzowski and rowers Jane McGee, Nadja Yaroschuk and Marlowe Eldridge.
2022 U23 World Rowing Championships
Kate Knifton, Anna Jensen, Lanie Nitsch and Rachel Rane each one gold while competing for USRowing at the 2022 U23 World Rowing Championships last summer. Knifton and Jensen won gold in the Women's Four, which was comprised entirely of Longhorns, while Rane coxed Team USA's Women's Eight (BW8+) that was crewed by Nitsch to victory. Additionally, Hannah Medcalf earned silver with Great Britain in the Women's Eight.
Also competing for Team USA at world's was Sophia Calabrese, who helped the Women's Quadruple Sculls to a sixth-place finish, and Sue Holderness, who stroked the Women's Pair to an eighth-place overall result.
Additionally, Marg van der Wal competed in the Women's Double Skulls for The Netherlands, helping the Dutch to a victory in the B final.
National Recognition
In 2022, Kate Knifton was recognized as the USRowing U23 Co-Female Athlete of the Year. It marked the second time a Longhorn has receive national team accolades, joining Texas Ex Fran Raggi, who was honored as the 2018 USRowing U19 Female Athlete of the Year.
Head coach Dave O'Neill was named the 2022 USRowing Man of the Year, given in recognition of outstanding contributions to men's rowing and/or to an outstanding man in rowing. Additionally, O'Neill, the record five-time CRCA Coach of the Year honoree, was also tabbed Rowing News' Coach of the Year.
Texas in the Polls
For the second consecutive year, the Longhorns opened the season as No. 1 in the first Pocock Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Rowing Polls, receiving 19 of the 20 first-place votes. The Longhorns have held the top spot in the rankings for 12 consecutive polls.
Stanford, the runner-up at each of the last two national regattas, was ranked second and received the other first-place vote, while Yale, Princeton and Washington round out the top five.
Pocock CRCA Coaches Poll Division Rankings – Week 1 (March 29)
1. TEXAS (19)
2. Stanford (1)
3. Yale
4. Princeton
5. Washington
6. Brown
7. California
8. Penn
9. Michigan
10. Syracuse
11. Virginia
12. Duke
13. SMU
14. Ohio State
15. Harvard
16. USC
17. Oregon State
18. Tennessee
19. Indiana
20. Rutgers
Championship Pedigree
Texas has registered top-eight results in each of the last seven NCAA Championship Regattas with program-best results in six, including each of the last five:
2022 – National Champion
2021 – National Champion
2020 – No regatta
2019 – 2nd
2018 – 3rd
2017 – 4th
2016 – 8th
2015 – 7th
Defending Champions
Texas enters 2022 as the seven-time defending Big 12 Conference Champions. In all, Texas has won 11 of the 13 Big 12 Conference Championships held, placing runner-up in 2013 and fourth in 2014.
Players Mentioned
