The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Rowing’s Dawson, Van der Wal land on CRCA’s Athletes to Watch list
02.26.2025 | Rowing
The junior duo guided Texas’ First Varsity Eight and the Longhorns to the 2024 National Championship.
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Rowing's Abby Dawson and Marg Van der Wal were named to the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association's (CRCA) 2025 Athletes to Watch list, the organization announced Wednesday afternoon.
The duo returns to the Longhorns this season after guiding Texas to the 2024 NCAA National Championship.
Van der Wal, a junior from Groningen, Netherlands, and Dawson, a junior from London, helped UT's First Eight capture a thrilling victory (6:09.920) in the Grand Finals to seal the 2024 NCAA title. The duo also aided the First Varsity 8+'s 2024 Big 12 Championship, winning in 6:08.714. Van der Wal and Dawson have played integral roles in Texas' I Eight going undefeated in three of the last four seasons. In addition, last season's First Eight earned two Big 12 Boat of the Week honors. During the Longhorn Invite on April 27, 2024, UT's First Eight won with a time of 6:00.969 to defeat then top-ranked Stanford, No. 12 Virginia and No. 14 Ohio State. Texas' First Eight also pieced together a dominant victory at No. 9 Michigan on April 13, 2024, after crossing the finish line at 6:08.10. Texas' I Eight won its first Big 12 Boat of the Week honor following the 2024 San Diego Crew Classic, finishing first in heats (6:27.626) and the final (6:23.272) to win the Jessop-Whittier Cup Invitational.
Texas commences the 2025 regular season at the San Diego Crew Classic on March 29-30 at Crown Point on Mission Bay in San Diego, Calif.
Players Mentioned
