At the end of the winter, all roads lead to San Diego. In what is always a thrilling season opener for many west-coast crews, the SDCC returns this season is back this weekend with three top-ranked crews facing off.
University of Texas
The reigning NCAA champions, Texas, are returning to the Crew Classic to make their debut this Spring. The Crew Classic is a regatta at which they won three out of four last year, making the third time in a row they swept with their top three boats. Texas will expect nothing less and will come out of the gates full steam ahead. Although Texas are only returning a grand total of two from last year’s championship-winning eight, with Marg Van Der Wal and Abby Dawson, this has never seemed to slow the team’s momentum since their rise in the COVID year. Without the test of popular head races in the Autumn season, their speed really remains unknown. This always makes for an even more exciting SDCC as we get to witness the debut of their speed. Texas have one three out of the four past NCAAs as the pressure continues to mount on their shoulders. Entering the spring season as #1 in the polls, they will surely be the hunted.
University of Washington (UW)
Most poised to hunt down Texas is UW, who all but have had the season of their dreams since pre-COVID, when they swept the 2019 NCAAs. The Huskies had a storming performance at Charles, ending third and fourth, and should be encouraged by these results and filled with confidence that they can take on any crew.
UW are led by a strong fifth-year class who were victorious at their Class Day regatta, which includes the likes of Yale transfer Sophie Houston, cox Grace Murdock, and Megan Lee. The coaching staff has been filled with USA team staples Brooke Mooney and Maddie Wanamaker to support the great Yasmin Farooq. They have all the tools they need to succeed, and I cannot wait to see what UW will do this season.
University of California Berkley
Rounding out the top-ten crews at Crew Classic are Cal. Having sent countless women to U23s over the summer, including Britain’s own Julia Hunt-Davis and a strong contingent for the Dutch team, Cal seems pleased and confident with their winter miles, hoping to impress beyond their eighth ranking. With a quiet autumn season, Cal have kept their cards close to their chest but round out a strong three programs which should make the Crew Classic one not to miss.
Other Mentions
Additionally going into this race ranked and poised to make the grand final are Notre Dame University and the University of Southern California. Notre Dame will make the journey having just wrapped up Oak Ridge, Tennessee’s Cardinal Invitational, where they were bested by both Duke and Navy in the Varsity. Their best chance will be to prove themselves against USC, a programme that has risen and fallen throughout the ranks over the past few years. USC opened their season with a decisive win at their annual dual with UCLA, who will also compete in this race at Crew Classic and hope to overturn their loss against USC.
Prediction
It has to be Texas for me, but I am hopeful that UW will recognize the gravity of this opportunity and throw even the kitchen sink at Texas. Coming out of a winter of miles and spring breaks filled with training, anything can happen at the Crew Classic.
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