2016 NCAA Rowing Championship Field Announced
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May 17, 2016
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – No. 5 Virginia is one of 22 schools selected for the 2016 NCAA Rowing Championship, the NCAA announced Tuesday (May 17). The national regatta will be held May 27-29 at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center in Gold River, Calif.
UVA earned the Atlantic Coast Conference’s automatic bid after claiming its seventh consecutive league championship on May 14. The Cavaliers’ Varsity Eight was named ACC Crew of the Year, while Heidi Long (Buckinghamshire, England) earned freshman of the year honors. Sam Casto (Dallas, Pa.), Jennifer Reid (Stafford, Pa.), Tessa Dikkers (Pelham, N.Y.) and Colette Lucas-Conwell (Palo Alto, Calif.) were named to the All-ACC Rowing first team and Mackenzi Sherman (Los Alamitos, Calif.) was a second-team selection.
In addition to Virginia, California (Pac-12), Central Florida (American), Gonzaga (West Coast), Jacksonville (MAAC), Navy (Patriot), Northeastern (Colonial), Ohio State (Big Ten), Princeton (Ivy), Rhode Island (A-10) and Texas (Big 12) all earned their conferences’ automatic spots.
The 11 schools that earned at-large selections were Brown, Duke, Indiana, Michigan, Stanford, Syracuse, USC, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin and Yale.
The Cavaliers are seeded No. 5 in the Varsity Eight, No. 5 in the Second Varsity Eight and No. 3 in the Varsity Four.
Virginia’s Varsity Four captured the national title in 2015 as the Cavaliers placed fifth overall with 104 points, the ninth-consecutive season the Cavaliers finished in the top six at the national regatta. The Cavaliers finished third overall in the Varsity Eight, while the Second Varsity Eight finished 12th.
In their 18 NCAA Championship appearances in the last 19 years, the Cavaliers have finished in the top four 10 times (1997-2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009-10, 2012) and have been runners-up three times (1999, 2005, 2007).
UVA has captured NCAA team championships in 2010 and 2012. The Varsity Eight boat won the NCAA title in 2012, while the Second Varsity Eight won championships in 1998, 1999 and 2005. The Varsity Four claimed national championships in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2015.