The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Thursday, April 9
Bloomington, Ind.
8 a.m. CT
University of Texas
at
Indiana
No. 2 Rowing preview: at No. 24 Indiana, No. 19 Michigan
04.08.2026 | Rowing
Texas travels north for duals at No. 24 Indiana on April 9 and at No. 19 Michigan on April 11.
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 2 Texas Rowing travels north for two dual at No. 24 Indiana on Thursday, April 9, and at No. 19 Michigan on Saturday, April 11.
Texas will take on Indiana at 8 a.m. CT Thursday at the Dale England Rowing Center in Bloomington, Ind.
The Longhorns will continue on the road and face No. 19 Michigan at 7:45 a.m. CT on Saturday at Belleville Lake in Belleville, Mich.
There will be no live results or streaming available for either day. Fans are encouraged to follow along Texas Rowing's social media accounts for results. A daily recap will be posted at TexasLonghorns.com following each event.
History vs. Indiana
- Texas and Indiana both competed at the 2025 NCAA Championships. Texas placed third and Indiana finished 14th.
- Thursday will be the first dual meet between Texas and Indiana.
Race Schedule vs. Indiana (all times listed in Central)
8 a.m. – Race #1 – Texas vs. Indiana – Third Varsity Eight
8:15 a.m. – Race #2 – Texas vs. Indiana – Second Varsity Four
8:30 a.m. – Race #3 – Texas vs. Indiana – First Varsity Four
8:45 a.m. – Race #4– Texas vs. Indiana – Second Varsity Eight
9 a.m. – Race #5 – Texas vs. Indiana – First Varsity Eight
History vs. Michigan
- It's the sixth-consecutive year in which Texas and Michigan have competed in a dual against each other.
- It'll be Texas' first trip to Michigan since the 2024 season. Texas swept all four races against the Wolverines in 2024. Texas has raced Michigan at Belleville Lake three times.
- Last year, the Longhorns and Wolverines clashed at Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. Texas swept all four races against the Wolverines for the third-straight year. The UT I Four cruised to an open-water victory in 7:04.062 while the Wolverines finished in 7:12.190 to begin the regatta. Texas followed that with another commanding victory, this time by the Texas Second Varsity Eight. Texas clocked in at a blistering 6:20.030, beating Michigan by over 12 seconds. The Wolverines crossed the finish line in 6:32.278. In the I Eight, Texas dismantled Michigan after registering a final time of 6:11.924 in the open-water victory. The Wolverines finished in 6:19.132. The Texas II Four poured it on in the final race of the day to secure the sweep over the Wolverines. Despite finding themselves behind Michigan for the first part of the race, Texas clawed back and finished in 7:06.594 for an open-water dub while Michigan punched in a final time of 7:14.655.
- Both teams competed at the 2025 NCAA Championships with Texas finishing third overall and Michigan placing 11th.
Race Schedule vs. Michigan (all times listed in Central)
7:45 a.m. – Race #1 – Texas vs. Michigan – Third Varsity Eight
8 a.m. – Race #2 – Texas vs. Michigan – Second Varsity Four
8:15 a.m. – Race #3 – Texas vs. Michigan – First Varsity Four
8:30 a.m. – Race #4 – Texas vs. Michigan – Second Varsity Eight
8:45 a.m. – Race #5 – Texas vs. Michigan – First Varsity Eight
SEC Honorees
- No. 2 Texas Rowing's Abby Dawson and Leila Gaston earned weekly honors from the Southeastern Conference on April 2. It was 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 in San Diego. 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 on March 28-29.
Last Time Out
- Texas swept all four of its races at the San Diego Crew Classic on March 28-29 to open the 2026 campaign.
- Texas' victories in the I Eight and II Eight marked the fifth-consecutive year the Longhorns have won those races.
- The First Varsity Eight recorded an open-water victory in the Jessop-Whittier Cup/Cal Cup Collegiate Invitational, clocking in at 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).
- The I Four won the Karen Plumleigh Cortney Cup in 7:41.158, finishing ahead of runner-up Washington (7:42.943), Cal (7:51.162), UCLA (8:03.050), Washington State (8:26.610), Sacramento State (8:31.474), UCSD (8:31.725) and San Diego (8:47.631).
- Texas' II Eight won the Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy in 6:50.106.
- The Third Eight took home a first-place finish in the Carley Copley Cup in 7:02.946.
Athletes to Watch
- Seniors Maya Meschkuleit, Marg Van der Wal and Amy Werner were named to the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association's (CRCA) Athletes to Watch list prior to the season.
- Van der Wal and Werner were integral pieces in Texas' 2025 First Varsity Eight, powering the Longhorns to a third-place finish at the 2025 NCAA National Championships. Under their leadership, Texas collected its eighth-consecutive top-four finish at the national regatta. The I Eight recorded a podium finish on June 1, 2025, placing third in 6:09.848. With their efforts, the UT First Eight has posted a podium finish in six of the last seven NCAA Championships. In the final race of the national meet, the I Eight battled hard to seal Texas' third-place team finish. Van der Wal and Werner also helped Texas capture the first-ever SEC Rowing Championship after throwing down a clutch, come-from-behind performance to win the I Eight and clinch the conference title. Texas extended its conference championship winning streak to 10-straight while winning the program's 14 overall conference crown.
- It marks the second-consecutive year in which Van der Wal landed on the CRCA's Athletes to Watch list. The Groningen, Netherlands, native returns for her senior year in 2026 after being selected as a finalist for the CRCA's Athlete of the Year in 2025. A two-time CRCA First-Team All-American, Van der Wal was instrumental in Texas' 2025 SEC Championship and third-place finish at the NCAA Championships. In addition to being named a 2025 finalist for the CRCA's Athlete of the Year, Van der Wal was also named a CRCA First-Team All-American, SEC Rower of the Year, SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, First-Team All-SEC and SEC Rower of the Week (April 16). Van der Wal is the 11th Longhorn in program history to be selected to the All-America First Team multiple times. Over the summer, Van der Wal and Texas teammate Ilva Boone (Netherlands 2-) won gold in the Women's Pair at the U-23 World Championships in Poland.
- Werner was named a 2025 CRCA First-Team All-America selection for the first time in her career. Werner also garnered First-Team All-SEC recognition last season as well.
- Meschkuleit transferred to Texas from Yale during summer 2025. It marks her second-consecutive season being named to the CRCA's Athletes to Watch list. The Mississauga, Ontario, native was a 2025 National Champion in the First Varsity Eight for the Bulldogs and sat in the three-seat of that boat, setting a championship-record time of 6:06.138. Meschkuleit earned CRCA First-Team All-America honors and Second-Team All-Ivy League accolades in 2025. She sat in the seven seat of the Varsity Eight that won a silver medal at the Ivy League Championship. She brings a plethora of international experience to the Forty Acres after rowing for Team Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympics and earning a silver medal in the Coxed Eight. She made her debut for the Canadian Eight at the 2024 Rowing World Cup II in Lucerne, Switzerland, guiding Canada to a gold medal. She competed at the senior World Rowing Championships for the first time in 2023, racing to a sixth-place finish in the C final of the pair with Caileigh Filmer.
In the Rankings
- Texas is ranked No. 2 in the country in this week's CRCA Coaches Poll.
- Texas was ranked as the preseason No. 3 team in the country according to the poll, which was released on Feb. 11. It marked the ninth-consecutive year Texas was ranked inside the top-four in the initial poll and the 11th-straight time UT has garnered a top-eight preseason ranking.
Texas Tough
- Last season, Texas finished third at the NCAA Championships after totaling 118 points – the fifth-highest points total at a national meet in program history. The I Eight earned a podium finish after placing third in 6:09.848 while the II Eight registered a fourth-place finish in 6:17.213. The Longhorn I Four placed third in 6:59.548. Texas has finished inside the top-three in six of the last seven national meets including three national titles, all under head coach Dave O'Neill.
- In 2025, Texas won the program's 10th-straight conference title and its first as a member of the SEC. It was Texas' 14th overall conference crown as the Longhorns placed first out of four teams in the inaugural SEC Rowing Championship (No. 2 Texas, No. 4 Tennessee, No. 24 Oklahoma and Alabama). Texas totaled 83 points to edge out second-place Tennessee, who accumulated 78 points.
Up Next
The Longhorns will finish the regular season on the road at No. 1 Stanford on Saturday, April 25, in Redwood Shores, Calif.
Players Mentioned
Port
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P/S
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Starboard
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Starboard
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P/S
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Coxswain
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