Texas Rowing begins its rise – The Daily Texan

Champions are often built through off-season preparation and improvement, and just a week into the racing season, Texas Rowing has already shown the country that it has used the break to continue to build on its dynastic success.

On the first official day of racing season at the San Diego Crew Classic, Texas stormed out of the gates, winning three of its four races. The I Eight, II Eight and Varsity 4 took first place, while the Open Eight took second place. All four boats reached the grand finale.

“Today was a great start to the racing season,” said head coach Dave O’Neill after his team exited the water. “This was just the first step and there is still a lot of room for improvement.”

In the grand final, the results remained identical on the first day. Texas won the grand final with three boats: the I Eight, the II Eight and the Four. Like the day before, Texas took second place in the Open Eight final.

“It was a great day here in San Diego. All four teams rode really hard and I’m really proud of the team,” said O’Neill.

Graduate student Mette Nielsen, who transferred from Yale, was the catalyst for the outstanding I Eight boat and was later praised by her coach. At the batting position, she already helped lead Yale to the Second Eight National Championship. Their transition into the program and impact is a common theme throughout college sports. Even in sports like rowing, the transfer portal has proven to be a weapon.

Success at the San Diego Crew Classic provides a great glimpse into the potential of the Texas rowing season. Entering the weekend, Texas was ranked No. 4 in the country. But after success in a field led by Pac-12 powers at No. 3 Washington and No. 7 California, Texas moved up to No. 2 in the national rankings.

Texas continued its momentum Saturday in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The No. 9 Michigan Wolverines, Texas, raced the No. 9 Big Ten powerhouse and won all four races. O'Neill acknowledged the team's versatility, particularly in the front eight, when sophomore Abby Dawson and graduate student Lanie Nitsch swapped positions and still posted good times.

The result was even more impressive given the conditions. Rough water made the race difficult, especially in the open eight. Conditions were so difficult that the boat was unable to complete the entire distance in its training race the day before. For a relatively inexperienced boat, this could have resulted in major setbacks. However, O'Neill credits junior Sue Holderness at the batting position for keeping the boat focused.

“Going into this race, I knew it was going to be a challenge,” said head coach Dave O'Neill said. “It was great to see our entire team rise to the occasion and the end results were positive.”

After an impressive start to the season, Texas Rowing is preparing for the Longhorn Invite on April 27th. Taking place on Lake Walter E. Long, Texas has a chance to reach the top and have the opportunity to compete with the best competition in the country. Texas will host reigning national champion and top-ranked Stanford as well as 13-time defending ACC champion Virginia and 10-time Big Ten champion Ohio State.