The defending 2024 NCAA national champion Texas rowing team opens its season this weekend at the San Diego Crew Classic, widely regarded as the premier spring rowing regatta.
Racing will commence in Mission Bay Park off Fiesta Bay-Crown Point. For the Longhorns, it’s a first look at where they stand against top national competition.
Unlike Texas’ typical dual meets, the Crew Classic features a larger field, with multiple teams racing side-by-side in each event. One of the largest rowing spectacles in the country, it includes not only college programs but also high school, masters and club teams in a high-energy, festival-like setting.
“This is kind of the first big one of the season for us,” senior port and starboard Sue Holderness said. “It’s fun because it’s unlike any of the other races we go to because it’s not just college.”
At last season’s Crew Classic, Texas won three grand finals and finished runner-up in a fourth, sweeping the I Eight, II Eight and Four for the third consecutive year.
The Longhorns will race in similar events Saturday, entering boats in the I Eight, II Eight, Four and Open Eight. They will face historically strong competition, including No. 5 Washington and No. 8 California. A top-three finish in the heats secures a spot in Sunday’s finals.
Texas views this regatta as a stepping stone toward its ultimate goal: another NCAA title.
With three NCAA titles in the past four years, the program carries high expectations. Holderness emphasized consistency, treating every practice like a race day.
“When you treat every day like it’s NCAA or a race, then when you show up to the start line for your race … you get to just treat it like it’s every other day at practice,” Holderness said.
The team also sees the regatta as an opportunity to prove itself. With several key departures, including Olympians Kaitlin Knifton and Daisy Mazzio-Manson, only two rowers from last season’s first varsity eight return. Several adjustments have been made as recent practices have consisted of finding the best combinations of players possible. This weekend allows Texas to see what it’s capable of.
With another NCAA title in sight, the Longhorns will use this weekend to fine-tune their speed and reinforce their status as one of the nation’s top programs.
“We’ve all built trust in each other doing the hard things with each other, so I think it’s exciting to get to go out there, be tested by some really good teams and see what we can do,” Holderness said.
