NCAA Championship Racing Starts Friday

Friday, May 26

Pennsauken, N.J.

8 AM

Syracuse University

NCAA Championship - Heats

5/25/2023 3:00:00 PM | Women's Rowing

NCAA Championship racing begins on Friday for the 10th-ranked Syracuse Orange. This year's championship marks the third consecutive appearance for the Orange and the sixth NCAA invitation in the last seven years. Head coach Luke McGee guided the team to a 10th-place finish in 2021 and a 17th-place result last year. Syracuse earned an at-large invitation to the 22-team field, which also features ACC teams Virginia and Duke.

"Our mindset is that it's another weekend we are trying to get better every race," said head coach Luke McGee. "It's a physical race, with three back-to-back-to-back races, but even more so it is an emotional race. How you manage that through the regatta is really important. Tomorrow will be a great race for all three boats against a lot of competitors we have not seen before. The varsity eight has the Big Ten champion, the Big 12 champion and the ACC champion all in the same heat so it makes it really fun and really exciting."

The 2023 NCAA championship opens with the heats on May 26 with Division I racing starting at 9 am. The Orange varsity eight is the seventh seed and will race 2nd-seed Texas, 10th-seed Michigan, 15th-seed Duke, 18th-seed Northeastern in the second heat at 9:12 am. Syracuse's second varsity eight is the 14th seed and will race 3rd-seed Texas, 6th-seed Penn, 11th-seed Virginia, 19th-seed George Washington and 22nd-seed Jacksonville in the third heat at 10:12 am. The Orange varsity four is the 13th seed and will compete against 4th-seed Stanford, 5th-seed Princeton, 12th-seed Ohio State, 20th-seed Northeastern and 21st-seed Jacksonville.

"The boatyard right now is humming with some intensity and some excitement as everyone is getting geared up and ready to go," McGee said. "I think everyone is in a good spot mentally and physically so it should be a really fun regatta. It certainly will be as fast and as deep of a regatta as we have ever seen. The quality of women's rowing right now is super high. You look across the board at everybody racing here and it is just impressive. That depth makes you realize how fun it can be and also how challenging it is going to be."

The 2002 Orange earned the program's first NCAA Championship team invitation after the varsity eight had earned at-large invitations in 1997, 2000 and 2001.The varsity eight also earned an at-large berth in 2005. Syracuse earned team invitations in 2002, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022 and this year.

"The experience we have at the NCAA Championship the last three years helps us," McGee said. "They are more mature, confident, and able to stay relaxed. We talk about the moment, not changing who they are and staying true to themselves. Sometimes you come to a big event, and you want it to be a certain way and that kind of changes your approach. For us it is taking it that race day isn't unlike anything else and we have to be authentic to who we are."

The Orange finished second at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, including the varsity eight winning an ACC title for the first time in program history. Syracuse is one of three ACC teams in the 22-team field at the 2023 NCAA Championship scheduled for May 26 to 28 on the Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, N.J.

At the ACC Championship, the Orange varsity eight won the ACC championship, marking the first time in program history a varsity eight boat has won an ACC title, and the Syracuse team finished second. The Orange varsity eight won 2023 ACC Crew of the Year, while head coach Luke McGee earned ACC Coach of the Year honors and freshman Ellie-Kate Hutchinson garnered ACC Newcomer of the Year accolades. For the second time in three years, every Syracuse boat earned positions on the podium, including gold for the varsity eight, silver for the third varsity eight, and bronze for the second varsity eight, varsity four and second varsity four. Virginia won the team conference title.

NCAA Championship Heats Schedule
May 26, 2023
9:12 am – Varsity 8
Lane 1 – Northeastern
Lane 2 – Michigan
Lane 3 – Texas
Lane 4 – Syracuse
Lane 5 – Duke

10:12 am – Second Varsity 8
Lane 1 – George Washington
Lane 2 – Virginia
Lane 3 – Texas
Lane 4 – Pennsylvania
Lane 5 – Syracuse
Lane 6 – Jacksonville

11:12 am – Varsity 4
Lane 1 – Northeastern
Lane 2 – Ohio State
Lane 3 – Stanford
Lane 4 – Princeton
Lane 5 – Syracuse
Lane 6 – Jacksonville

V8
Coxswain Hannah Murphy
Stroke Annika Maxson
7 Emmie Frederico
6 Izabela Krakic
5 Kamile Kralikaite
4 Ellie-Kate Hutchinson
3 India Aikens
2 Martyna Kazlauskaite
Bow Alena Criss

2V8
Coxswain Louise Rath
Stroke Junior Ognovich
7 Madison D'Ambra
6 Zoe Acosta
5 Lena Radke
4 Olivia Schaertl
3 Haley Uliasz
2 Heather Stafford
Bow Aphrodite Gioulekas

V4
Coxswain Caileigh Grimes
Stroke Elizabeth Vogt
3 Kaitlyn Dennis
2 Alice McNeill
Bow Mae Sweeney

Alternates
Lea Dahn
April Serrano
Lauren Coop

SYRACUSE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
1997      Varsity 8 invited (did not place)
2000      Varsity 8 invited (9th place finish)
2001      Varsity 8 invited (6th place finish)
2002      Team invited (12th place overall)
2005      Varsity 8 invited (16th place)
2016      Team invited (13th place overall)
2017      Team invited (13th place overall
2018      Team invited (16th place overall)
2020      No Championship due to COVID-19
2021      Team invited (10th place overall – best team finish in program history)
2022      Team invitation (17th place overall)
2023      Team invitation

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