The SEC. It just means more.
On 23rd August, rowing became the 22nd sport sponsored by the South Eastern Conference and the 13th women’s sport in which an SEC Championship will be contested.
Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas will compete in the SEC championship. Despite being the smallest conference, the SEC will be packing a serious punch during its first competitive season on the water.
Texas Head Coach Dave O’Neill hailed the unanimous decision from the SEC’s Athletic Directors and welcomed this new era of collegiate rowing.
“For me, this is now the third conference that I’m a part of,” he said. “Being part of the Pac-12, Big 12 and now the SEC I can say that just being part of this and seeing how engaged is, it’s impressive.
“It’s clear that rowing is going to be important to them and that they want to put in a good show with the championships. Even just talking about growing the sport within the SEC there were some encouraging signs.”
The new SEC conference will feature two of the strongest programmes in the country, Texas start the new season as national champions, having won the NCAA team trophy and Varsity Eight on three out of the last four occasions.
“We were obviously happy with the result but more importantly, we got the result because of the work that we put in and I was really impressed by the way the team came together. How they performed and how they performed on the final day was really fun to watch,” reflected O’Neill who has transformed the Longhorn programmes after joining from California in 2014.
“Coming into this year, everyone understands what the expectations are. A theme for us this year is that there are no guarantees. Just because you’re here and you wear the burnt orange doesn’t mean you’re going to be good or that you’ll finish ahead so we know there’s some big challenges ahead,” he continued.
The conference also features the Lady Vols of Tennessee who have shot right to the very top of collegiate rowing after a tremendous first season with Kim Cupini at the helm. After just one year, Cupini led Tennessee to third place at the NCAAs and was named CRCA National Coach of the Year.
“Last year was a lot about getting a team together and focussing on what we want Tennessee rowing to be and now we’re chipping away at where we want to grow our speed and how where we want our programme to develop to,” Cupini explained.
“We’re pretty excited as we’ve got an amazing race schedule set up with really the top five teams in the country, we’ll see them all in the first few months of the season.
“So, we’re pretty excited about that, just getting ourselves ready to go, ready race and we’re looking forward to stepping up our level throughout the season for the NCAA championship.”
For Oklahoma and Alabama, trips to the big dance aren’t as regular as their opponents. However, given that the SEC championship will not have an automatic qualification spot for the conference championship, the Crimson Tide and the Sooners are not altering their strategies for the upcoming season.
“I think we as a conference felt it was important to build this championship correctly and if that means without an automatic qualification spot then so be it,” outlined Oklahoma Head Coach Sarah Trowbridge.
As per NCAA guidelines, the SEC would need at least six teams to gain an automatic bid to the national championships. What’s also worth noting is that the SEC does not allow associate members to join for just one or two sports.
“We want this to be a really strong conference, and it will take work with the conference realignment or not. You have to showcase that speed across conferences and across regions. It’s going to be as challenging as ever to get the at-large bid.
“The plan is to be doing that and not just because of conference realignment but because of all the initiatives we have to be a much faster team,” added Trowbridge.
Glenn Putyrae, who has led Alabama since 2018 said: “I don’t think our path to the championship changes that much. Our path will be through how we compete during the regular season and who we compete against.
“At the end of the day, when the selection committee is picking crews, it’s going to come down to who you raced and who they already see as a part of the championship field and if you beat any of those teams.
“Racing Tennessee, Texas and Oklahoma certainly doesn’t hurt us because our point of comparison at the end of the year will be against two teams that will be fighting for the podium and we don’t plan on sitting still and not trying to catch them up.”
The SEC was founded back in 1932 and comprises of 16 members. It is one of the United States’ ‘Power Four’ conferences which are the most prominent athletic conferences in collegiate sport.
The ‘Power Four’ also includes; the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big Ten, and the Big 12. SEC sport is nationally televised by ESPN, ABC and on the conference’s own SEC Network, a joint venture between ESPN and the SEC.
Ultimately, conference realignment across the United States has taken place because of broadcast deals for Football. Texas and Oklahoma have moved into a conference that generated over $850m dollars equating to more than $50m per school. Financially, the most lucrative conference conference was the Big Ten, which Washington, USC and UCLA have all joined. In the 2022-23 fiscal year, the Big Ten generated just shy of $880m.
What’s important for rowing in the SEC is the passion that Athletic Directors have to showcase the sport at the very highest level and give it a similar spotlight to other sports.
As Cupini explained: “When the SEC do things they want to do it well. For two days straight they just hammered on us as to what makes a good rowing championship which is really awesome for us to hear.
“That was phenomenal to hear. Our ADs really care and the SEC really care. The SEC is learning because they want to produce the best they can for rowing which is really fantastic for our sport.
“The SEC talk a lot about building memories and having great racing experiences and that’s what matters going into NCAAs, practising in the lineups and racing on some great courses.”
O’Neill added: “Going from the Big12 last year with 12 teams and this year with four teams I don’t think it will change competitively or the way we prepare won’t change.
“No offence to anyone but Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, and Oklahoma have typically been in the top four the last few years so the competition should be about the same.
“With more teams comes more spectators, more people around but there’s going to be a lot of enthusiasm about the SEC championship and it’s going to be a great event. The way we prepare won’t change and the way we race isn’t going to change whatsoever.
“If it was a bigger competition then we’d have heats and finals but we haven’t had that for a number of years and, to be honest, I like the show-up, one by 2k and I think there’s something special about that.”
Sport is the lifeblood of SEC universities. When teams, particularly football are performing well there’s an infectious energy that surges through campus. It’s the SEC, it just means more.
“Sometimes I think rowing teams are off to the side, not seen or not heard but we’re fortunate to have our boathouse on the river right by campus so they’re seen and heard,” reflected Cupini.
“They get to have Saturday morning practice and then run up the hill to go and watch a football game and have so much energy and spirit from that, it’s just contagious.
“We’re fortunate to have a lot of energy on Rocky Top and it definitely doesn’t help that Baseball just won a national championship last spring at Tennessee and Football is doing quite well.”
As well as competing for their respective national championship titles, each sport helps their university compete for the Learfield Cup. Known simply as the Directors Cup, it’s awarded each year to the university or college that has the most successful athletic department across 19 sports.
“Our athletic director cares a tonne,” emphasised O’Neill. “They are paying attention, especially when it comes to the Directors’ Cup, they care a tonne.
“We had a head coach’s meeting the Tuesday before we left for NCAAs and our AD has it down to the point in terms of ‘If baseball wins another game, if softball wins another game.’
“We’re at this head coaches meeting, I’m sitting next to the football coach Steve Sarkisian and our AD says ‘we’re in a good place for the Directors’ Cup if rowing and O’Neill does what they are supposed to do and they win…’ The football coach leans over to me and goes ‘sucks to be you, huh! Like you’re expected to win!’
“He gets it, of course, he’s expected to win but it’s not that easy to win.” Sarkisian is set to earn $10.3 million and his Longhorns are 5-0 atop the AP Football for the first time in 16 years.
“There’s enthusiasm but with that comes pressure. We understand we’re a part of something bigger in the Athletic Department and we have a role to play.
“Everyone is part of something bigger in our team and then part of something bigger in the athletics department so it’s cool, concluded O’Neill.
The inaugural SEC Championship will take place in Oak Ridge, Tennessee on Sunday 11th May 2025, broadcast on the SEC Network.
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