The NCAA Division I Championships will take place over three days. In the 2V8 Category, Stanford were ranked first, followed by Washington, with Tennessee coming in third. Texas, Yale and Princeton follow close behind. In 2024, Stanford came out on top, ahead of Texas and Tennessee. This year, I envision it to be similar as Stanford have maintained a different level of speed this year, consistently dominating races throughout the spring season. But as crews have had a few weeks to nail down their racing strategies and technique, it will be interesting to see if the playing field has leveled out. This race promises to be very exciting indeed!
Stanford University
As the top seed in all three boat classes, Stanford is a force to be reckoned with this year. Dominating the Atlantic Coast Conference for the fourth consecutive year, Stanford earned their automatic bid to NCAA’s. In their race, the 2V8 also set a record-setting performance, six seconds ahead of Virginia. This young crew will be looking to dominate against crews across the country, taking the win once again. In their heat, they will face Indiana, Rutgers, Harvard-Radcliffe and California.
University of Washington
Ranked number three in the most recent CRCA poll, Washington swept the Big Ten Championships in their new conference, winning with a perfect score. This is the second time in the history of this conference that a program sweeps every single event. Their 2V8 dominated against Michigan and Rutgers setting a commanding lead by the 1,000 m mark and crossing the finish line six seconds ahead of the Scarlett Knights. They will face Oregon State, Virginia, Brown, and Pennsylvania on Friday for their heat.
University of Tennessee
Second overall at the SEC Championships, just behind Texas, Tennessee were given an at large bid to the 2025 NCAA Championships for the 11th time in its program history. Their 2V8 dominated their Grand Final, beating Texas to take the win in their category. Their 2V8 specifically has had very strong performances throughout the season, winning against Princeton, Michigan, Syracuse, and many other top performing programs. Having lost to Washington and Brown in the Big Ten Invitational back in April, this crew have made some ground in that time, and it will be exciting to see what they produce in the last showdown of the season.
Predictions
Stanford have dominated all season, and this championship is theirs for the taking. Second or third place will be battled between Washington and Tennessee, with other programs such as Texas, Yale and Princeton also fighting to close the gap. But I predict it will ultimately be Stanford that finish as champions in this category.
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