U-M Qualifies All Boats for A/B Semifinals at NCAA Championships

Friday, May 30

West Windsor, N.J.

8:00 AM

Michigan

NCAA Championships

(Michigan Photography)

U-M Qualifies All Boats for A/B Semifinals at NCAA Championships

5/30/2025 12:21:00 PM | Rowing

By: Chad Shepard, Devin Wiles

Site: West Windsor, N.J. (Lake Mercer)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 1 of 3)
First Varsity Eight Finish: 6:20.13 (3rd of 5)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, May 31 -- at NCAA Championships - Day Two (West Windsor, N.J.), 8 a.m.

WEST WINDSOR, N.J. -- The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan rowing program qualified all three of its boats for A/B semifinals on day one of the NCAA Championships on Friday (May 30). On Lake Mercer, home of the collegiate season's final event for the fourth time, U-M took third place in its varsity eight events and second place in the first 1V4 heat.

At the opening of Friday's races, weather conditions were cloudy and 67 degrees before the temperature spiked to the mid-70s by the conclusion of the day's events. A light breeze had little impact on the boats throughout the day.

All 22 teams competing in the NCAA Championships worked to qualify their boats for Saturday's semifinals. To qualify for A/B semifinals, which then lead to grand and petite finals on Sunday, boats were required to finish in the top three of their races on Friday. Qualifying for these races guarantees at least a top-12 finish for the weekend.

In a competitive 1V8 race to open the day, Michigan faced off against No. 1 Stanford, No. 8 Brown, No. 11 Syracuse and No. 13 Harvard. Through the first 500 meters, U-M and Brown entered a race for second place after falling behind the top-ranked Cardinal early.

The Wolverines and Bears traded strokes and locked into an even race at its midpoint. Brown then made its move, and U-M lost three seconds over the next 500 meters. After dropping back, Michigan managed to hold on to third place and qualify for an A/B semifinal.

In the 2V8 against No. 4 Tennessee, No. 6 Princeton, No. 14 UCF, Northeastern and Fairfield, U-M settled into a comfortable third-place standing behind Tennessee and Princeton through the first half of the race. Throughout the final 1,000 meters, the Wolverines held six seconds on fourth place UCF -- the 11 seed to Michigan's 14 heading into the weekend. Michigan made a move in the final 500 to catch the second-place Volunteers and held contact until the final 200 meters to finish in third.

The 1V4 event saw Michigan compete against Stanford, Tennessee, No. 10 Virginia and No. 16 Indiana. The Wolverines entered an early fourth place but held seats on Tennessee through the first 1,000 meters of the race (-0.3). The Volunteers attempted to surge ahead over the next 500, but U-M did not allow them to take a substantial lead.

Virginia began to fall back and entered the three-boat race for the final two spots in the A/B semifinal. Michigan and Tennessee moved ahead of Virginia and traded bows through the final sprint. In a close finish, Michigan held on to take second place (+1.0) and qualify for another A/B semifinal race.

The NCAA Championships will continue Saturday (May 30) with semifinal races. Michigan will compete in A/B semifinals in all three events with the hope of moving on to Sunday's (June 1) grand final races. Division I races will start at 8 a.m. and will be broadcast live on NCAA.com.

Results

First Varsity Eight (Heat One)
1. Stanford -- 6:11.53
2. Brown -- 6:15.00
3. MICHIGAN -- 6:20.13
4. Harvard -- 6:22.72
5. Syracuse -- 6:24.54

Second Varsity Eight (Heat Three)
1. Princeton -- 6:18.29
2. Tennessee -- 6:21.01
3. MICHIGAN -- 6:25.77
4. UCF -- 6:34.63
5. Northeastern -- 6:37.63
6. Fairfield -- 7:13.74

First Varsity Four (Heat One)
1. Stanford -- 6:58.52
2. MICHIGAN -- 7:03.38
3. Tennessee -- 7:04.38
4. Virginia -- 7:09.09
5. Indiana -- 7:22.69

Michigan Lineups

1V8: Logan Roeder (coxswain), Leia Till, Gabrielle Graves, Katie Easton, Amy Newton, Sara Houben, Jana Peachey, Carla Russell, Autumn Crowe