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The top-ranked Texas women and Washington men started the 2025 season right where they left off 2024, on top, at the San Diego Crew Classic and Sarasota 2k regattas, respectively. Below them in the NCAA and IRA rankings, multiple crews rewrote early-season rankings by winning March races against higher-seed competition.
At the San Deigo Crew Classic youth events, Newport Aquatic Center won the women’s youth eight A final by almost four seconds over Saugatuck, with Marin two-tenths of second back in third. On the men’s side, Marin won the San Diego Rowing Club Cup for youth eights by more than eight seconds of over Norcal, with Newport Aquatic Center third.
The top six finishers in the Jessop-Whitter / Cal Cup Collegiate Invitational event at the San Diego Crew Classic came away with top-25 rankings in the CRCA Pocock poll for April 1. Number-one Texas beat #3 Washington to the line by less than a second, followed by #8 Cal, #24 Washington State, #21 USC, #25 Notre Dame, UCLA, and UC San Diego.
“We expected some hard-fought races and close margins today, and that’s exactly what we got,” said Texas head coach Dave O’Neill. ” Our First Eight really showed they have some speed. It was the first race at that level for seven of them, so they still have room to grow. Sue Holderness has turned herself into a very good stroke, and it’s nice to have a six-seat like Marg Van der Wal behind her.”
UCLA’s men’s club crew beat Delaware in the Crew Classic’s Friday event for ACRA men, ahead of UC Santa Barbara, San Diego State, and Loyola Marymount. UC Santa Barbara won the women’s ACRA invitational event ahead of San Diego State, Loyola Marymount, and Arizona State.
On the other side of the country, the Sarasota 2k regatta featured the top men’s varsity programs, the Floridia Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships, and a solid field of women’s Division I varsity programs. Competing for the renewed Bolles Cup against Harvard, Washington swept all four eights races on Friday before competing with Harvard, Yale, Brown, and Northeastern for the points-based Benderson Cup on Saturday, which the Huskies also won.
“They were really close races across all events,” said UW men’s head coach Michael Callahan. “This level of competition is exactly why we came here.
“This is the strongest group of teams I recall seeing at this race (formerly Sunshine Invitational),” said Louisville head coach Derek Copeland of competition among women’s crews at Nathan Benderson Park for the Sarasota 2k.
UCF swept the women’s events over the two-day regatta, vaulting from 25th to 17th in the CRCA Pocock poll as a result. The original ranking marked the first time in UCF program history the Knights have been ranked, in coach Mara Allen‘s second year as head coach.
Ten programs raced on Princeton’s Lake Carnegie in the National Collegiate Lightweight Invitational. In Oak Ridge, Tenn
Previously-ranked #13 Virginia beat #9 Michigan in the first and second eights at the B1G-ACC regatta. Michigan won the varsity four and lower boat races. Number 14 Ohio State beat Viriginia’s first eight and third varsity four and eight in a separate race at the same regatta, while Virginia won the second eight and varsity four.
““Racing in the NCAA boats is always exciting, and earning four wins out of six opportunities against highly-ranked competition is an encouraging start,” said Virginia head coach Wesley Ng. “Performances at this time of year are highly variable, and we must keep developing speed and consistency.”
Racing on the Charles River in Boston, #21 Holy Cross swept #23 MIT in four heavyweight men’s races on the Charles River, Saturday, March 29. In the first varsity race, the Crusaders beat the Engineers by almost 20 seconds.
The 3rd Manny Flick regatta brought 3,500 youth to race on the Schuylkill, where Merion Mercy Academy had the fastest girls’ varsity eight and La Salle was fastest among the boys’ eights.
