BETHEL, Ohio – Highlighted by victories in the Four and First Varsity Eight Grand Finals, No. 1 Texas Rowing captured its third NCAA National Championship over the last four years Sunday at Harsha Lake.
Texas became just the third program to win three NCAA titles over a four-year stretch, joining Brown (1999-2000, ’02) and Ohio State (2013-15). It’s also the first time Texas has won two events at the same national championship.
The Longhorns totaled a program-record of 130 total points, three points ahead of runner-up Stanford (127). In a thrilling race from start-to-finish, UT earned the win in the First Eight over Stanford, the final race of the day, to solidify the national crown under light precipitation. With the win, Texas’ First Eight has gone undefeated in three of the last four seasons.
The Longhorns started off strong with its second consecutive national title in the Four. UT led the full race, cruising to an open-water triumph in 6:59.555. With the victory, Texas added 22 points to its tally. Texas finished over four seconds ahead of national runner-up Princeton, who crossed the line at 7:03.761. Stanford (3rd – 7:04.489), Yale (4th – 7:06.845), Tennessee (5th – 7:07.729) and Washington (6th – 7:14.657) followed.
Texas fought in a tightly contested battle in the Second Eight, posting a final time of 6:20.320 – just 2.16 seconds behind first-place Stanford (6:18.156). It is Texas’ highest finish in the II Eight since placing second in 2019. Third place Tennessee followed the Longhorns after clocking in at 6:22.830. Washington (4th – 6:24.898), Yale (5th – 6:25.776) and Princeton (6th – 6:32.828) followed in order.
UT closed out the national regatta with a thrilling victory in the I Eight (6:09.920) to claim the program’s third Varsity Eight national crown. Princeton carried an early lead through the race’s first 500 meters, but Texas quickly acquired the lead and didn’t squander it over the last 1,500 meters. Texas continued to build on its lead throughout the race, pushing its advantage to a half-boat length as the Longhorns crossed the finish line.
Stanford finished runner-up in the Varsity Eight with a final time of 6:11.804 followed by Tennessee (6:12.156), Princeton (6:15.556), Brown (6:18.030) and Washington (6:19.232).
Now in his ninth season as head coach at Texas, O'Neill totaled his third national title. The Longhorns have placed in the top-eight nationally in all nine of his seasons at UT. On a historic note, O’Neill has coached five varsity eights to national championships, which is the most by a head coach in NCAA history.
The University of Texas now owns 66 all-time National Championships (62 NCAA crowns). It’s the fourth straight year UT has won multiple national titles in the same academic year.
The third-ranked Tennessee rowing team recorded the program's best-ever NCAA Championship result, finishing third overall and earning a podium spot in two of the three Grand Final events to cap Big 12 Coach of the Year Kim Cupini's first season on Rocky Top. Each of the Lady Vols' three NCAA Championship crews set program-best marks by boat classification. Tennessee's First Eight placed third, its Second Eight crew placed third and its Four boat earned fifth place.
Lineups
Texas’ I Eight: Carly Legenzowski (C), Mette Nielsen, Lanie Nitsch, Anna Jensen, Etta Carpender, Marg Van der Wal, Abby Dawson, Cassandre Korvink-Kucinski and Amber Harwood
Tennessee’s I Eight: 1V8+: Sasha Radovanovic (coxswain), Emma Seawright, Sarah Abrams, Alex Pidgeon, Riley Ferdelman, Meg Flanagan, Alice Fahey, Nicole Campbell, Hannah Smith
Texas’ II Eight: Amy Werner (C), Sue Holderness, Paula Becher, Rhiannon Luke, Allie Alton, Phoebe Wise, Parker Illingworth, Taryn Kooyers and Anna Garrison
Tennessee’s II Eight: Elizabeth Walley (coxswain), Sophie Hill, Megan Hewison, Stella Mirkovic, Paige Reymann, Hannah Richardson, Gracie Condon, Katie Rice, Erin Gifford
Texas’ Four: Janet Goode (C), Nadja Yaroschuk, Phoebe Robinson, Katherine Nordheim and Lucy Searle.
Tennessee’s Four: Laila Irigoyen (coxswain), Maylie Valiquette, Allison Lea, Natalia Loram, Sheya Lavin
Race Results
First Eight (Grand Final):
1. #1 Texas (6:09.920)
2. #2 Stanford (6:11.804)
3. #3 Tennessee (6:12.156)
4. #4 Princeton (6:15.556)
5. #8 Brown (6:18.030)
6. #7 Washington (6:19.232)
Second Eight (Grand Final):
1. #2 Stanford (6:18.156)
2. #1 Texas (6:20.320)
3. #3 Tennessee (6:22.830)
4. #7 Washington (6:24.898)
5. #5 Yale (6:25.776)
6. #4 Princeton (6:32.828)
Four (Grand Final):
1. #1 Texas (6:59.555)
2. #4 Princeton (7:03.761)
3. #2 Stanford (7:04.489)
4. #5 Yale (7:06.845)
5. #3 Tennessee (7:07.729)
6. #7 Washington (7:14.657)
Final Team Standings:
1. #1 Texas (130 points)
2. #2 Stanford (127 points)
3. #3 Tennessee (118 points)
4. #4 Princeton (112 points)
5. #7 Washington (106 points)
6. #8 Brown (99 points)
7. #9 Michigan (90 points)
8. #5 Yale (88 points)
9. #6 California (84 points)
10. #11 Pennsylvania (77 points)
11. #10 Syracuse (76 points)
12. #15 Ohio State (68 points)
13. #14 Virginia (68 points)
14. #13 Rutgers (55 points)
15. #12 Indiana (47 points)
16. #16 Duke (46 points)
17. Gonzaga (37 points)
18. Northeastern (26 points)
19. Boston (24 points)
20. Rhode Island (17 points)
21. SMU (13 points)
22. Jacksonville (10 points)