CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- No. 6 Virginia will compete in the 2026 NCAA Rowing Championships Friday-Sunday (May 29-31) at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia, hosted by Lake Lanier Olympic Park and University of North Georgia.
Live results and video streaming links will be available through NCAA.com and VirginiaSports.com. NCAA Division I action is set to begin at 9:48 a.m. on Friday.
Each division (Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight and Varsity Four) has four heats on Friday, with the top three from each heat moving on to Saturday’s A/B semifinals. The remaining boats will race in the C/D semifinals.
Virginia’s Varsity Eight, which is seeded sixth, will be in action in heat three at 10:12 a.m. UVA's third-seeded Second Varsity Eight is in heat three at 11 a.m., while the sixth-seeded Varsity Four is in heat three at 11:48 a.m.
The semifinals begin Saturday (May 30) at 8:12 a.m. with the V8, followed by the 2V8 and the V4, while the finals will take place on Sunday (May 31). Division I Grand (places 1-6) and Petite (places 7-12) finals begin at 9:24 a.m. with the final race of the weekend being the Varsity Eight Grand Final at 10:24 a.m.
The Cavaliers, who are making their 28th NCAA championship appearance, earned an at-large NCAA bid after finishing second at the ACC Championship. 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.
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.
Projected Virginia Lineups
Varsity Eight: Coxswain: Brie Joe, Stroke: Paula Lutz, 7-seat: Skylar Morrison, 6-seat: Elsa Hartman, 5-seat: Flynn Greene, 4-seat: PJ Balazy, 3-seat: Riley Richardson*, 2-seat: Madeleine Agudelo and Bow: Lila Henn
Second Varsity Eight: Coxswain: Ashlyn McGinn, Stroke: Emma Alimbau-Borrás, 7-seat: Claudia Kerry-Roger, 6-seat: Georgia Allen, 5-seat: Sophia Cavalieri, 4-seat: Katie Rapaglia, 3-seat: Savannah Fox, 2-seat: Ayla O’Neill and Bow: Ava Cathey
Varsity Four: Coxswain: Samara Coakley, Stroke: Reilly Katz, 3-seat: Skylar Gash, 2-seat: Lindsay O’Neil and Bow: Dylan Bentley
Spares: Coxswain Clementine Riegelhaupt, Enya Gilroy, Eva Morton, Elena Bloom, Ella Weeks