With conference championships underway, the anticipation to gain an automatic qualification to the NCAA championships looms large for all these athletes. However, from the spectator’s standpoint, it is exciting to see so many competitive and determined crews go head-to-head for the last few times this season. Tension is high, but every athlete is fueled by the desire to win, ready to tackle the racecourse with unparalleled passion. Who will come out on top?
May 11th
Dad Vail Regatta
The Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta, staged on the Cooper River, in Pennsauken, New Jersey took place this past weekend. This is one of the largest collegiate regattas in the United States, with over 100 colleges and universities from the US and Canada going to head-to-head. In the Collegiate women’s side, Drexel’s women’s rowing Varsity 8 captured the gold medal and the overall points championships in the Grand Final on Saturday. With a time of 6.54.01 they crossed the finish line ahead of Fordham (6.57.32) and Georgetown (6.57.51).
American Athletic Conference Championships
One of the first conference qualification races this year, the winner of the AAC move on as the leagues automatic qualifier to the 2024 NCAA Rowing Championships, May 31- June 2 at Harsha Lake in Bethel, Ohio. This year SMU rowing took the win, securing a fourth-straight bid to the NCAA Championships. SMU won both the varsity four (with time of 7.34.49) and second varsity eight (with time of (6.48.15) races, narrowly missing out on the varsity eight win to Tulsa who finished with a time of 6.39.27. SMU finished four points ahead of Tulsa in the overall standings making them the overall winners of the AAC 2024 championships. It will be exciting to see how much more speed this time can find in the next couple of weeks as they prepare for the most important race of the season.
Make sure to tune in next week as the weekend will be filled with many more conference championships, including the Ivy League Championships, Big 12 Rowing Championships and Pac-12 Rowing Championships. For many of these crews, these will be the last few races of their season…
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