The No. 1 Texas rowing team returns to Lady Bird Lake on Saturday to face No. 13 Michigan, following a dominant showing at the San Diego Crew Classic.
After winning three grand finals and finishing runner-up in a fourth in San Diego, the Longhorns look to carry their momentum into their meet against Michigan, who is seeking its fifth Big 10 conference title in six seasons.
Despite slipping from No. 9 to No. 13 in the most recent Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association poll, Michigan brings a respectable challenge to the Longhorns. At the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on March 29, the Wolverines won 10 of 14 races and saw their second varsity four named Big Ten Boat of the Week.
Michigan returns with 25 athletes from last season’s 51-member roster, including senior Katie Easton, who earned a spot on the CRCA preseason Athletes to Watch list for the second straight year. Graduate student Abigail Dent also returns to the team after taking a year off to train with Team Canada and compete in the 2024 Paris summer Olympics.
Yet after the Crew Classic, Texas understands what it’s capable of. This race is another checkpoint on Texas’ road back to the NCAA podium.
“I always say I know I’m doing my job really well when I don’t have to do anything — just sort of guide the ship,” head coach Dave O’Neill said. “I feel like things are clicking quite well.”
More than just another race, Saturday’s matchup is part of a broader effort to build visibility for this team and their success. As a program that has quietly built a dynasty, its dominance is often underrepresented.
“Oftentimes with rowing, we’re just out there, and there’s a lot of anonymity,” O’Neill said. “I think we have a responsibility to the rowing community to put ourselves out there and to be more open and minimize anonymity.”
O’Neill believes spotlighting individuals is key to broadening the sport’s appeal. This year’s top varsity eight features athletes like senior port and starboard Sue Holderness, who didn’t race at the NCAA Championship her freshman year and now has cemented herself as a needed stroke in the varsity eight, and junior port and starboard Marg Van der Wal. Originally from the Netherlands, O’Neill has named Van der Wall as arguably “the best Division I rower in the country.”
O’Neill hopes to erase anonymity through consistent excellence, and success against Michigan this weekend will certainly aid in that.
“I always say the best way to get noticed is to do something noticeable,” O’Neill said. “And I’d like to think our team has done something noticeable.”
