The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Rowing’s Searle garners CRCA Athlete of the Year, O’Neill named Coach of the Year to highlight postseason awards
06.12.2026 | Rowing
Lucy Searle was named CRCA Athlete of the Year, Dave O’Neill was named Coach of the Year and Texas hauled in Coaching Staff of the Year.
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Rowing junior Lucy Searle was named the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association's (CRCA) Athlete of the Year, the organization announced Friday. Texas head coach Dave O'Neill was named CRCA Coach of the Year and the Texas staff was selected as the CRCA's Coaching Staff of the Year.
Searle becomes the third Longhorn in program history to garner CRCA Athlete of the Year, joining Anna Jensen (2024) and Francesca Raggi (2022). A two-time CRCA First-Team All-American, Searle powered Texas' First Varsity Eight to an individual title while helping clinch the program's fourth overall NCAA Championship at Lake Lanier Olympic Park on May 31. Searle also garnered First-Team All-America praise, All-SEC selection and was tabbed SEC Rower of the Week on May 1.
"This award reflects the standard Texas Rowing sets, a standard defined by how we train, compete and raise the bar for each other," said Searle. "Our consistency comes from how we show up every day under Dave O'Neill. The drive and determination from every member of the team has shaped me as an athlete."
With the help of Searle, the 1V8 threw down an unofficial world-record time of 5:47.706 to win gold and clinch the NCAA Championship for the Longhorns. It was the fourth national title victory by the I Eight in program history and first since 2024. Texas edged out second-place Stanford (5:50.160), third-place Tennessee (5:51.450), fourth-place Virginia (5:52.398), fifth-place Yale (5:53.412) and sixth-place Princeton (6:00.056).
O'Neill earns his fourth CRCA National Coach of the Year honor while at Texas, while the Texas coaching staff receives its fourth overall CRCA Coaching Staff of the Year award.
Under O'Neill, associate head coach Gia Doonan, and assistant coaches Nick Baker, Spencer Kales, Alexa McAuliffe, Nicole Borges and Rachel Sander, the Longhorns put together a historic 2026 season with the NCAA title and two individual boat titles.
"It was a terrific year, and I'm certainly honored to be selected coach of the year by my colleagues," said O'Neill. "Of course, all the credit goes to team. It was an absolute pleasure to coach them throughout the year. Despite not everything going our way, everyone stuck together and did something special in the end. I'm forever grateful for everyone's attitude and effort throughout the entire year."
Texas is just the second program all-time to win four titles in a six-year span, joining Brown from 1999-2004. The four national championships moves Texas into a tie for third-most all-time behind only Brown with seven and Washington with five, and equal with Cal.
The Horns have recorded a top-eight result in each of the previous 11 national regattas, including a top-four finish in each of the last nine national championships. It is the second time overall and first since 2024 that Texas has won two events at the same national championship.
The Longhorns' 130 points at this year's national regatta was well ahead of runner-up Stanford, who tallied 125 points. Tennessee finished third with 119 points followed by fourth-place Virginia (114 points), fifth-place Yale (103 points), sixth-place Princeton (100 points), seventh-place Washington (100 points), eighth-place California (89 points), ninth-place Syracuse (80 points) and 10th-place Brown (77 points) to round out the top 10.
Not only did the 130-point total match the UT program record from 2024, but it is also tied for third among all teams since 2013 when the current scoring system was established. It trails only the 132 points scored by Washington in 2017 and 2019, while Cal also scored 130 points in 2018 as part of the tie for third.
In addition to an individual title by the 1V8, Texas also won an individual title in the I Four and recorded a runner-up finish by the 2V8.
