The duels are done; it’s judgment time. This weekend, the best of East and West will be crowned in the conference championships. For some, this will be a launching pad into the national championships in just a few weeks, while for others, this will be their last race in the eight. Which team will have which outcome will be decided over 2000 metres this weekend.
ACC Championships
The new premier conference in the sport, #1 Stanford and #8 California, make the trip to South Carolina for their first-ever conference championship in their new ACC home. For Stanford, they seem to have unbeatable pace following dominant sweeps across their regular season contests. However, California are inserted into one of the most interesting conference dynamics in the nation. #11 Syracuse claimed their first title in twenty years last year and face their two traditional foes #13 Virginia and #19 Duke, who will aim for an NCAAs trip under their first-year head coaches. Behind them, North Carolina showed real speed this year and will be hoping for a strong performance on Lake Hartwell to keep their season going.
Big Ten Championships
Another traditionally strong conference welcoming a western powerhouse is the Big Ten. #4 Washington will travel east to Indianapolis to enter a congested conference. #6 Rutgers have been the season’s key story with their rapid rise in the rankings, but the traditional powers still loom. #10 Michigan have been done with class for two weeks and deep in their ‘camp wolverine’ while #17 Ohio State likely have more speed than they have shown this weekend, while #16 Indiana and Michigan State have shown real sparks of speed.
Adding to the mix is Washington head coach Yaz Farooq’s habit of training through the conference championships, which may mean the racing is even more open than it may seem through the heats and finals this weekend.
Ivy League Championships
The Ivy League has comprised the same eight schools since its establishment in 1954. However, despite this stability, there is still change afoot. #7 Princeton have won the varsity eight (and thus the conference championship) in seven successive events, but after a loss in the regular season, that title looks up for grabs. Will Porter has his #3 Yale Bulldogs looking like a national championship contender. Behind them, there are more new faces. Behind them, the league may have five total teams racing at the NCAA championships. #9 Brown and #14 Penn have consolidated both schools, saying goodbye to programme-defining coaches last summer, while #12 Harvard-Radcliffe have taken leaps forward in their second year with Claire Ochal. Fighting for the last spot in the grand final are #18 Dartmouth and Columbia, both teams that could make a run for the national championship if everything goes their way on the Cooper River.
WCC Championships
Having been dominated by Gonzaga for the last decade, the West Coast Conference welcomed in the refugees from the fallen Pac-12 conference, which has shaken the rowing scene. This weekend on Lake Natoma, #20 Oregon State will be favourites to qualify for just their second national championships since 2000. The Beavers have always been near the conversation for the national championships, but in an easier conference, they may have a clean run at the big dance in the reshaped world. Standing in their way are the defending champions Gonzaga and fellow Pac-12 member Washington State.
Big 12 Championships
Another conference with big changes is the Big 12, as Texas, Tennessee, and the others moved into the SEC. Stepping into the void is #15 UCF, led by former Texas assistant Mara Allen, who has demonstrated speed to be competitive at the national championships, and should be a class above their rivals this weekend.
CAA Championships
Since the foundation of this conference, Northeastern have only been defeated twice: in 2010 and 2013. Based on the results this season, that looks unlikely to change as Drexel and UC San Diego, the two most recent challengers, have had more challenging seasons than that of the women on the Charles. On Cooper River this weekend, the question will more likely be whether the Huskies can sweep proceedings as they look to at least match their 18th overall finish from last year’s championship.
Patriot League Championships
Incidentally, the winner of the CAA championship in 2013, Boston University, enters this weekend to win their third Patriot League title in four years. Last year, the Terriers swept the conference, and they are even faster this year, leaving a narrow path if Navy wants to replicate their success from seven of the last ten championships. Another storyline to watch is MIT, who have their fastest women’s squad in several years and could take a boat class away from the Terriers.
Atlantic-10 Championships
In a conference historically dominated by UMass, it has become a duopoly between Rhode Island and George Washington in recent years. The former has had the upper hand, taking the conference’s automatic bid in three of the four post-pandemic championships. However, this year, the pendulum has swung back in favour of the programme from Washington DC, as the George Washington first and second eights both put up comfortable margins over their Rhode Island opposition at women’s sprints this weekend, leaving the revolutionaries as the favourites heading into this weekend’s racing.
MAAC Championships
Historically, the slowest league in the country, the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference presents an intriguing race this weekend. Since 2014, Jacksonville have won all but two championships with Marist winning in 2019 and 2021. This year, though the field may be open as Sacred Heart have demonstrated significant speed in the first eight while Canisius and Fairfield may also be in the fight this weekend.
