Michigan
NCAA Championships (Heats)
Wolverines Wrap Heats, Semifinals at NCAA Championships
5/29/2026 11:15:00 AM | Rowing
Site: Gainesville, Ga. (Lake Lanier)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 1 of 2)
First Varsity Eight Finish (Semifinals): 6:16.174 (1st of 5, advanced to C Final)
First Varsity Eight Finish (Heats): 6:15.586 (4th of 5, advanced to C/D Semifinals)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, May 31 -- at NCAA Championships, Finals (Gainesville, Ga.), 8:12 a.m.
GAINESVILLE, Ga. -- The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan rowing program completed its first day of competition at the NCAA Championships on Friday (May 29) with a strong showing at Lake Lanier in heats and semifinals action. U-M's afternoon performances were particularly strong, with race wins from the first eight and first four, and a Petite Final bid secured by the second eight. In the morning, the 2V8 outperformed its seed and advanced to A/B Semifinals, while the 1V8 and 1V4 advanced to the C/D semifinals.
Late Thursday afternoon, weather conditions dictated a change of schedule. Heats were moved up to an earlier time slot this morning, and semifinals, originally scheduled for Saturday, were moved to later this afternoon. Boats were aiming for a top-three finish in their heats, which yielded bids to A/B Semifinals and kept the path to a national title open. Semifinals were set up similarly, with top-three finishes producing bids to Grand Finals (from A/B Semis) and C Finals (from C/D Semis), respectively.
Semifinals (Afternoon)
When teams returned to the course Friday afternoon, temperatures had increased to 82 degrees with a light crosswind. Throughout the afternoon session, the wind quieted down due to nearby rain, leading to calmer water in the later races.
U-M rowed out of lane four in the first varsity eight C/D Semifinal and put forth a great race, leading wire-to-wire. In the early going, U-M was with Miami bow-to-bow for a few strokes before pulling ahead. The Wolverines gained a four-seat lead over the Hurricanes by the 500-meter mark, with Boston and Northeastern close behind in a tight battle for third. Michigan gained open water ahead of the field in the third quarter of the race as the Terriers and Northeastern continued to pull away from Massachusetts. Michigan kept its lead to earn first place (6:16.174) in the semifinal, more than five seconds ahead of the rest of the field.
Michigan's four got off to a strong start from the fourth lane of its C/D semifinal, leading bow-to-stern over Northeastern by the 500-meter mark. The Wolverines quickly gained open water over the field as Ohio State fought with Northeastern for second place ahead of Columbia and Massachusetts. The Maize and Blue continued to extend the gap ahead of the competition, earning the program's second first-place finish (7:10.711) of the afternoon, two boat lengths ahead of the second-place Buckeyes.
In the last race of the day, the second eight competed well in a fast heat of the A/B semifinal. Early on, U-M kept an early pace with Yale, Stanford and Princeton from the sixth lane. Michigan joined Brown and Syracuse in a battle for fourth halfway through the race, while the Bulldogs fell into that chase pack at 1,500 meters as the Cardinal and Tigers paced the field. In the last stretch of the race, the field pushed past the Wolverines, who finished with a time of 6:25.020 and advanced to the Petite Final on Sunday.
Heats (Morning)
At the opening of Friday's morning races, weather conditions offered 72-degree weather with a light headwind. Over the course of the morning, the light wind shifted to a tailwind, and the strength of the wind picked up into the late morning.
U-M raced in the first heat of the varsity eights and lined up on the outside in lane one. In the opening stretch, U-M's fast start helped it use nearby Washington's speed to its advantage while UW chased down Tennessee. The Wolverines pushed for third place, battling early with Syracuse, and kept contact with the Huskies.
But in the second half of the race, Tennessee pulled ahead by three-quarters of a boat length, and at the same time, Syracuse advanced on the Huskies, pulling into second place, while Washington gained open water over U-M, placing the Maize and Blue into fourth. The Wolverines finished with a time of 6:15.586, with Oregon State following close behind.
From the fifth lane of the last second varsity eight heat, Michigan moved up the course alongside Washington and Princeton, fighting among the leaders, including Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights caught up to U-M around 1,500 meters to form a chase pack behind the leader, Princeton, but a strong push by the Wolverines saw U-M pull ahead to fight the Huskies for second position. Washington held on to its position behind the Tigers, with Michigan's third-place finish (6:08.831) advancing it to the A/B semifinals.
After entering the weekend as a 15-seed in its boat class, U-M's second eight has guaranteed itself a top-12 finish with today's result.
In the Wolverines' last race of the morning, the 1V4 kept contact with Yale for third place through the first half of the race, behind Texas and California. In the last 1,500 meters, the Bulldogs pulled ahead to fight the Golden Bears for second, creating separation on boats from Michigan and Boston. The Wolverines settled for a fourth-place finish (6:57.686) ahead of the Terriers and advanced to C/D Semifinals.
Officials are keeping a close eye on weather systems in the area, which prompted today's schedule changes. The present schedule dictates that finals will be held on Sunday (May 31), beginning at 8:12 a.m. U-M will compete in one Petite Final (2V8; 9:49 a.m.), racing for places 7-12 nationally, and two C Finals (1V4 at 8:24 a.m. and 1V8 at 9:12 a.m.), racing for places 13-17. Races will continue to be streamed live on NCAA.com.
Results (P.M.)
First Varsity Eight (C/D Semifinal, Heat 1)
1. MICHIGAN -- 6:16.174
2. Miami -- 6:21.238
3. Northeastern -- 6:25.014
4. Boston -- 6:25.230
5. Massachusetts -- 6:35.776
Second Varsity Eight (A/B Semifinal, Heat 2)
1. Stanford -- 6:07.274
2. Princeton -- 6:14.852
3. Yale -- 6:15.942
4. Syracuse -- 6:19.158
5. Brown -- 6:19.354
6. MICHIGAN -- 6:25.020
First Varsity Four (C/D Semifinal, Heat 2)
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:10.711
2. Ohio State -- 7:17.779
3. Northeastern -- 7:19.627
4. Columbia -- 7:24.955
5. Massachusetts -- 7:38.295
Results (A.M.)
First Varsity Eight (Heat One)
1. Tennessee -- 6:03.254
2. Syracuse -- 6:06.330
3. Washington -- 6:08.992
4. MICHIGAN -- 6:15.586
5. Oregon State -- 6:17.756
Second Varsity Eight (Heat Four)
1. Princeton -- 6:07.367
2. Washington -- 6:08.539
3. MICHIGAN -- 6:08.831
4. Rutgers -- 6:11.429
5. Rhode Island -- 6:36.801
6. Massachusetts -- 6:46.807
First Varsity Four (Heat Two)
1. Texas -- 6:44.878
2. California -- 6:50.488
3. Yale -- 6:52.212
4. MICHIGAN -- 6:57.686
5. Boston -- 7:21.300
Michigan Lineups
1V8: Logan Roeder (coxswain), Madeson Scott, Madeleine Lauriault, Deanna Macolino, Jana Peachey, Lucy Hallett, Olivia Carroll, Novella Rusman, Megan Higley
2V8: Isabela Pimentel (coxswain), Sinéad Erasmus, Gretel Ham, Autumn Crowe, Marloes van der Zwart, Danelia Price-Hughes, Zara Bongiorno, Ashley Mitchell, Ayelel Meyen
1V4: Grace Hammis, Avery Rodeheffer, Ansley Vicars, Jenna Chaffin, Talia Daft (coxswain)
