The Massachusetts rowing team traveled to Gainesville, Ga., to compete in the NCAA Women’s Rowing Division I Championships under hot and humid conditions. The event was held at Lake Lanier Olympic Park, with competition originally spanning from Friday, May 29, through Sunday, May 31. While heats were held on Friday morning as planned, a forecast of interfering weather prompted officials to move the semi-finals from Saturday to Friday afternoon. Despite the schedule shift, the finals remained on Sunday.
Entering the national stage as newly crowned Mid-American Conference champions, the Minutewomen faced off against a field of 21 elite programs in the championships. This milestone marked the program’s first appearance at the national event since 2017 and its seventh all-time qualification.
Crews aimed for a top-three finish in their respective heats to secure a spot in the prestigious AB semi-finals. Those finishing outside the top three were relegated to the CD semi-finals, with all participating boats ultimately progressing to compete in the A, B, C, or D finals on Sunday.
The varsity eight competed on Friday morning, lining up against Princeton, Yale, Rutgers, the University of Miami and the University of Rhode Island. UMass raced in heat four of four, in lane one. The crew came in at 6:33.265, landing them in sixth place about 30 seconds behind the Tigers in first place of the heat.
Later in the afternoon, the crew raced against Northeastern, the University of Michigan, the Hurricanes and Boston University in the semi-final four. The Minutewomen placed fifth place and punched a time of 6:35.776. The Wolverines took first place at a time of 6:16.174, creating a 19-second margin between them and UMass.
On Sunday morning, the crew raced against the Terriers, Jacksonville and the Rams in the D final. The Minutewomen took second-place behind Boston University, with a time of 6:17.530, their fastest of the season.
A stronger tailwind picked up for the second varsity eight boats. UMass again was in lane one and in heat four. Led by Maeva Ginsberg-Klemmt, the Minutewomen took sixth place, clocking a 6:46.807 time. The lineup included Washington, Michigan, the Scarlet Knights, Princeton, and Rhode Island. UMass raced in the semi-final three against Colombia, the Wolverines, Ohio State and the Huskies.
This semi-final lineup additionally consisted of Northeastern, the Buckeyes, Rutgers and Boston University. The Minutewomen trailed behind the other crews for the majority of the race, placed fifth with a time of 6:51.035.
The Scarlet Knights made a statement and stayed well ahead of the pack, leaving second through fourth place to finish close together. The gap between UMass and Rutgers was about 30 seconds. The boat finished fourth with its fastest time of the weekend, 6:34.734.
Freshman Anastasiia Kolesnikova led the varsity four as stroke seat to a fifth-place finish in heat four and lane six. The time punched was 7:21.416, with the Dolphins trailing nine seconds behind. Tennessee, the Scarlet Knights, Oregon and Syracuse also made an appearance. The Minutewomen raced in lane six against Michigan, Ohio State, Colombia and Northeastern, earning a time of 7:38.292 in fifth place.
The Wolverines took first place, leaving a margin of about 27 seconds between them and UMass. The crew advanced to the D finals on Sunday morning and were up against Colombia, Jacksonville and Rhode Island. The Minutewomen took fourth-place and finished with a time of 7:24.941.
Overall, UMass ranked 21st with 12 points. The NCAA tournament marks the end of the post-season for the Minutewomen. They will return to the Connecticut River in Amherst, Mass., come the fall season for head racing.
Olivia Thibodeaux can be reached at [email protected].
