In less than a week, 22 of the fastest collegiate rowing teams in the country will descend on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New Jersey, for the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Rowing Championships, the most anticipated weekend of the collegiate rowing calendar. After a thrilling series of conference championships, nine teams earned Automatic Qualification (AQ), while thirteen more were selected via at-large bids based on their season-long performances, results, and national rankings.
The AQs this year were: Rhode Island (Atlantic 10), Stanford (ACC), UCF (Big 12), UW (Big 10), Northeastern (CAA), Yale (Ivy League), Fairfield University (MAAC), Boston University (Patriot), and Oregon State (WCC).
Joining them are thirteen at-large selections: Brown, California, Dartmouth, Harvard-Radcliffe, Indiana, Michigan, Penn, Princeton, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
Trophies will be distributed for the top performers in the three boat classes, the 1V 8+, 2V 8+, and 4+, but only one team can win the overall team trophy, held by Texas for three of the past four NCAAs. The team trophy is won on a points system, where points are assigned for places in each of the three races (66 for first place in the varsity eight, 44 for first place in second varsity eight and 22 for first place in third varsity four) and the overall points champion wins the NCAA crown.
Stanford:
Stanford arrives in New Jersey as the overwhelming favorite and top seed in all three boat classes, a rare and formidable feat. If they can execute, they could become just the second program in history to sweep all three Grand Finals, a feat previously accomplished only by Washington. Stanford is the only non-Texas team to win the NCAA title in the past four years, and after falling just short last year, the Cardinal are out for redemption.
Texas:
The Longhorns are aiming to defend their title and secure a fourth championship in five years. Texas enters the regatta well-positioned but not quite at the peak of previous years, seeded 2nd in the 1V, 4th in the 2V, and 4th in the V4+. Still, their postseason pedigree makes them dangerous, Texas has proven time and again they know how to peak when it matters most.
Washington:
This year marks Washington’s 28th consecutive NCAA appearance. A storied program with five national titles, Washington remains the only team ever to sweep all three Grand Finals, not once, but twice (2017 and 2019). Washington is poised to have their NCAA finish since 2019, coming into the regatta ranked 4th in the 1V, 2nd in the 2v, and 2nd in the 4+, and a strong contender to put a stop to a potential Stanford sweep.
Yale:
The Ivy League team champions return to the NCAA stage with six league rivals in the mix. Yale’s 1V 8+ comes in seeded 7th after finishing second to Princeton at Ivies, while their 2V 8+ is seeded 5th, a boat with real podium potential, much like in 2022 when they captured the win at NCAAs. Yale’s 4+ is also seeded 5th and could be another dark horse for a podium finish. Led by their experienced Ivy League coaching staff of the year, and Will Porter in his 25th season as head coach, the Bulldogs are primed for a strong team performance.
Princeton:
Seeded 5th in the Varsity 8+, Princeton remains one of the Ivy League’s best bets for a top-tier finish. However, the Tigers have historically struggled to show the depth across all three boats needed to secure a team trophy meaning the 1V remains their best shot at hardware.
Tennessee:
Coming off another breakout season, Tennessee enters the regatta ranked 4th in the national polls, and is seeded 3rd in both the 1V and 2V 8+s. Their V4+ is seeded 8th. A strong performance could land the Volunteers on the overall team podium for the second year in a row, where last year they rose to a 3rd place overall finish. Tennessee coach, Kim Cupini, was named SEC coach of the year.
Notable mentions:
Rutgers comes into the regatta ranked 7th nationally and will be aiming to solidify themselves among the top-10 after an impressive regular season.
Dartmouth makes its first NCAA appearance since 2011 and just the fifth in program history. The Big Green are coming off a fourth-place finish at Ivies—their best since 2014.
Harvard-Radcliffe also returns to the field. Their Varsity 8+ placed sixth at Ivies, and they will look forward to being back at the regatta.
Prediction:
Anything can happen over the three-day regatta, but, for me, it’s going to be a Stanford in gold, with Texas and Washington closely behind in second and third, respectively.
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