The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Championships
No. 2 Rowing preview: NCAA Championships
05.25.2023 | Rowing
Texas will seek a third-straight national crown beginning on Friday at the NCAA Division I Rowing Championships in Pennsauken, N.J.
No. 2 Rowing heads to Pennsauken, N.J. for the 2023 NCAA Division I Rowing Championships in search of a third consecutive NCAA title. The Longhorns are seeded in the top-three in all three events, with Texas tabbed as the top seed in the Four for the second consecutive year, while the Longhorn I Eight is seeded second and the II Eight third.
The Longhorns will look to become the second program to win three consecutive national titles and the first since Ohio State accomplished the feat from 2013-15. Additionally, Texas' I Eight will seek a third-straight championship, an achievement only previously accomplished by the 2013-15 Buckeyes.
When: Friday, May 26 – Sunday May 29, 2023
Where: Cooper River Park, Pennsauken, New Jersey
Field: Brown, California, Duke, George Washington, Gonzaga, Indiana, Jacksonville, Michigan, Navy, Northeastern, Ohio State, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Rutgers, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, TEXAS, USC, Virginia, Washington, Yale.
Watch: NCAA Championships Live
Results: Available at Regatta Timing
Schedule
Friday, May 26 - Heats
8:12 a.m. CT (9:12 a.m. ET) – I Eight, Heat 2
Lane 1: Northeastern
Lane 2: Michigan
Lane 3: TEXAS
Lane 4: Syracuse
Lane 5: Duke
9:12 a.m. CT (10:12 a.m. ET) – II Eight, Heat 3
Lane 1: George Washington
Lane 2: Virginia
Lane 3: TEXAS
Lane 4: Pennsylvania
Lane 5: Syracuse
Lane 6: Jacksonville
9:36 a.m. CT (10:36 a.m. ET) – Four, Heat 1
Lane 1: Indiana
Lane 2: Duke
Lane 3: TEXAS
Lane 4: California
Lane 5: Rutgers
Saturday, May 27 –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) – Fours, A/B Semifinals
Sunday, May 28 – Finals
8:36 a.m. CT (9:36 a.m. ET) – Fours, Grand Final
9:00 a.m. CT (10:00 a.m. ET) – Second Eight, Grand Final
9:24 a.m. CT (10:24 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 won the second of back-to-back national championships in 2022, highlighted by a dominating victory in the Grand Final of the I Eight, also the boat's second consecutive title. UT scored 124 points, equaling the total of Stanford and winning the national championship due to their victory in the First Eight. It marked the second year in a row in which the Longhorns and Cardinal tied for the most points with UT winning with the First Eight result serving as the tiebreaker. The Varsity Four finished in third and the Second Eight placed fourth in their respective races.
The Horns won the first national title in program history at the 2021 NCAA Championships, collecting 126 team points, equaling the total of Stanford and Washington and winning the national championship due to the Longhorns' triumph in the First Eight Grand Final. The Second Varsity and the Varsity Four each finished third in their respective races, earning crucial points for the Horns. The First Eight's victory was also the first national crown for an individual boat in program history.
UT placed a 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 marked 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
Texas has registered top-eight results in each of the last seven NCAA Championship Regattas:
2022 – National Champions
2021 – National Champions
2020 – No regatta
2019 – 2nd
2018 – 3rd
2017 – 4th
2016 – 8th
2015 – 7th
Last Time Out
Texas swept five races at the Big 12 Championship to win their eighth consecutive conference title. The victory marked the 12th conference title in program history and the Longhorns' eighth consecutive sweep of the conference regatta.
The clean sweep netted the Longhorns 98 points in the final Big 12 team standings and automatically qualified UT for the NCAA Championships. Texas won the five races by an average of 19.51 seconds, including an average of 18.408 among the three NCAA Championships bound boats.
East Coast Swing
Texas closed out the regular season with a four-race sweep at No. 10 Virginia at the Rivanna Reservoir in Earlysville, Va. Racing was highlighted by Texas' II Four that registered a dominating victory following a restart of their race, winning by almost 20 seconds. The Longhorns crossed the line in 7:18.60 followed by UVA in 7:38.40. The win occurred after the boats had to restart; called back when they were at the midway point of their initial race.
Two days prior to the UVA races, the Longhorns posted a trio of top-two results including a victory by the II Four in a double dual versus No. 3 Yale and No. 4 Princeton on Lake Carnegie in New Jersey. The I Eight and I Four placed second to Princeton, while the II Eight finished third.
Defending Home Water
In the second race weekend of the season, Texas topped No. 11 Michigan in four races, sweeping the Wolverines at home on Lady Bird Lake. It was the first time in seven years that the Longhorns raced on Lady Bird Lake and marked the third-straight year in which the Longhorns and Wolverines squared off head-to-head in a regular-season contest and the second four-race sweep.
Starting Strong
Texas opened the season with a weekend sweep of eight races, including four grand finals, at the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic to retain their title in the Women's Collegiate Varsity Jessop-Whittier Cup Invitational and collect the Women's Collegiate 2V Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy, Women's Collegiate Varsity 4+ Karen Plumleigh Cortney Cup and Women's Open Carley Copley Cup for the second-straight year.
A Look at the Longhorns
The defending two-time national champion and eight-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 the NCAA Championships Grand Final to capture the second title in program history.
The combination of Knifton at stroke-seat and Rane at coxswain has been on a tremendous run since the start of the 2021 season. Over that span, the Texas I Eight, with Knifton and Rane on board, has won 24 of last 25 races with a head-to-head mark of 84-1 in those races, including a 56-1 record against teams ranked in the CRCA Top 20.
Texas' 2023 regatta roster includes nine members that competed at both the 2021 and 2022 national championships: Olivia Fogarty, Amber Harwood, Anna Jensen, Kaitlin Knifton, Cassandre Korvink-Kucinski, Hannah Medcalf, Lanie Nitsch, Rachel Rane and Susanna Temming.
All told, 11 rowers and all three coxswains who competed in the 2022 National Championship are back for the 2023 regatta.
Also returning from last year's champion First Eight boat are Etta Carpender, Sophia Calabrese and Temming, while returners from the Second Eight crew will be rowers Medcalf, Harwood, Nitsch and Korvink-Kucinski and coxswain Olivia Fogarty. Back from the Four is coxswain Carly Legenzowski and rowers Jane McGee and Nadja Yaroschuk.
Big 12 Rower of the Year
Kate Knifton is the seventh Longhorn to be honored as the Big 12 Rower of the Year. The Austin native has rowed at stroke-seat on the Texas I Eight in each of the last three seasons, winning two NCAA team championships and a pair of First Eight national crowns. This year, the two-time first-team All-American has guided Texas to victories in five of six races with a head-to-head mark of 19-1 in those races, including victories over eight ranked opponents. Last weekend, she led Texas to an eighth consecutive Big 12 crown, the fourth of her career, helping the Longhorns secure a number two seed for the NCAA Championships.
All-Big 12 Honors
Six members of the No. 2 Rowing's First Eight earned all-conference honors at the Big 12 Championship regatta on Lake Walter E. Long. Kate Knifton and Rachel Rane earned all-conference accolades for the third consecutive year, bringing the total number of Longhorns with at least three all-conference nods to eight. Aspa Christodoulidis was the last to accomplish the feat after earning the honors in 2019, 2021 and 2022.
Anna Jensen was named All-Big 12 for the second-straight year and second time in her career, while Sophia Calabrese, Etta Carpender and Susanna Temming collected all-conference honors for the first time.
Big 12 Coach of the Year
Dave O'Neill was named Big 12 Coach of the Year for the third-straight year and the seventh time in eight seasons with the Longhorns. He led Texas to an eighth consecutive sweep in the Big 12 Championship. This season, the Longhorns swept their way to four boat trophies at the San Diego Crew Classic, swept head-to-head competitions at No. 10 Virginia and against No. 11 Michigan, and won three of four races versus No. 3 Yale.
Academic Accolades
Kate Knifton, Anna Jensen and Rachel Rane were selected to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Women's At-Large Team. The honor recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom.
To be nominated for this honor, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution. Nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50-percent of the team's games. No student-athlete is eligible until he/she has completed one full calendar year at his/her current institution and been on a college roster in that sport for two years.
Rowers Knifton and Jensen and coxswain Rane have helped guide the Texas I Eight to victories in five of six races this season with a head-to-head mark of 19-1 in those races, including victories over eight ranked opponents. All three were members of 2021 and 2022 NCAA Championship teams, also winning titles as part of the First Eight each of the last two seasons.
Knifton carried a 4.0 grade point average as a graduate student, receiving her graduate certificate in sports communication. Rane graduated in the spring with a 3.8135 GPA as a Radio-TV-Film major, Jensen sports a 3.8151 GPA as a sport management major.
Conference Boat Honors
The Texas I Eight earned Big 12 Conference Boat of the Week honors following the dominant victory Michigan, winning with a time of 6:10.738 to top the Wolverines, who crossed the line in 6:21.922.
The win helped complete a Longhorn sweep of four races over the Wolverines in UT's first home race on Lady Bird Lake in seven years.
Texas' I Eight featured senior coxswain Rachel Rane, as well as graduate student Kaitlin Knifton, fifth-year Susanna Temming, junior Anna Jensen, senior Etta Carpender, senior Sophia Calabrese, junior Samantha Schalk, graduate student, Kelsey McGinley and junior Amber Harwood.
The victory extended the Texas I Eight's unbeaten streak to 22 consecutive races with a head-to-head record of 76-0 within those races since the streak began at the start of the 2021 season. The mark includes a 54-0 record against teams ranked in the CRCA Top 20.
2022 U23 World Rowing Championships
Knifton, Jensen and Rane each competed 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 also crewed by Lanie 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 placed eighth overall in the Women's Pair.
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 was 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
Texas holds the No. 2 ranking in the 2023 Pocock Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Rowing Polls. Princeton is the top-ranked team in the most recent poll, while Yale, Stanford and Washington round out the top five.
Pocock CRCA Coaches Poll Division Rankings – Week 8 (May 17)
1. Princeton
2. TEXAS
3. Yale
4. Stanford
5. Washington
6. Pennsylvania
7. Brown
8. Virginia
9. California
10. Syracuse
11. Michigan
12. Ohio State
13. SMU
14. Duke
15. Rutgers
16. Indiana
17. Harvard
18. USC
19. Oregon State
20. Tennessee
Players Mentioned
