The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
No. 2 Rowing’s Dawson, Gaston earn SEC weekly honors
04.03.2026 | Rowing
Abby Dawson was named SEC Rower of the Week, and Leila Gaston was selected as Co-Freshman of the Week.
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 2 Texas Rowing's Abby Dawson and Leila Gaston earned weekly honors from the Southeastern Conference, the league office announced Friday. Dawson was named SEC Rower of the Week while Gaston earned SEC Co-Freshman of the Week.
It's both Dawson and Gaston's first career conference weekly honors. Both played large roles in Texas sweeping all four trophies at the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic on March 28-29 on the Fiesta Bay-Crown Point Shores of Mission Bay Park.
Dawson, a senior port/starboard from London, was instrumental in Texas' First Varsity Eight winning its fifth-consecutive Jessop-Whittier Cup/Cal Cup Collegiate Invitational in 6:32.277 to beat No. 5 Washington (2nd-6:39.126), No. 10 Cal (3rd-6:49.833), UCLA (4th-7:02.479), Washington State (5th-7:08.745), Sacramento State (7:13.549), San Diego (7:22.189) and UCSD (8th-7:45.189). Dawson returned to the I Eight lineup after missing most of the fall. It was her third-straight year winning the San Diego Crew Classic.
Gaston, a freshman starboard, made her collegiate debut as a Longhorn last weekend. The Sydney, Australia, native sat in the seven-seat of the Second Varsity Eight and helped the crew take home the Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy with a final time of 6:50.106. Washington (2nd-6:51.860), Cal (7:07.667), UCLA (7:20.510), Washington State (7:34.588), UCSD (7:40.174), Sacramento State (7:45.840) and UCSD (7:50.563) followed. Gaston was one of three freshman a part of the II Eight last weekend.
Up next, No. 2 Texas travels to Bloomington, Ind., to race Indiana on April 9.
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