CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- No. 6 Virginia is one of 22 schools that will compete at the 2026 NCAA Rowing Championships, announced Tuesday (May 19). The national regatta will be held May 29-31 at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia, hosted by Lake Lanier Olympic Park and University of North Georgia.
UVA earned an at-large bid following its third consecutive second-place finish at the ACC Championship on May 16. The Cavaliers raced to runner-up finishes in the Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight and Varsity Four to finish second behind two-time ACC champion Stanford.
Virginia’s Elsa Hartman, Flynn Greene and Paula Lutz were named All-ACC First Team, while coxswain Brie Joe was named to the second team for the second consecutive season. UVA’s Georgia Allen earned ACC Newcomer of the Year honors.
Boston University (Patriot), Jacksonville (MAAC), Massachusetts (MAC), Northeastern (CAA), Oregon State (WCC), Princeton (Ivy League), Rhode Island (A-10), Stanford (ACC), UCF (Big 12) and Washington (Big Ten) earned automatic berths for the NCAA Championships.
Brown, California, Columbia, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas and Yale joined Virginia as at-large selections.
The Cavaliers are seeded No. 6 in the Varsity Eight, No. 3 in the Second Varsity Eight and No. 6 in the Varsity Four.
Virginia placed 10th at the 2025 NCAA Rowing Championships with 68 points. UVA’s Second Varsity Eight finished sixth, the Varsity Eight placed 11th and the Varsity Four finished 14th in their respective championship races.
In their 27 NCAA Championship appearances in the last 29 years, the Cavaliers have finished in the top four 11 times (1997-2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009-10, 2012, 2016) and have been runners-up three times (1999, 2005, 2007).
UVA 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.