NCAA Women’s Rowing Opinions

Welcome to The Catch ‘97!! We’re a small group that loves NCAA D1 Rowing results and has lots of commentary to share….. All commentary is OPINION ONLY and we don’t have any biases for/against any team. We just love the sport of rowing and there is a serious hole in the industry for commentary and contextualization of race results. DM us if you have a race that we didn’t cover, or with any other content suggestions. Happy racing everyone!! Our Mission Statement: “Honesty is our only policy.” XOXO - The Catch ‘97

2026 NCAA BID PREDICTIONS *Keep in mind these are only our predictions Givens: The first 8 teams to receive at-large bids are relatively easy to guess based on rankings but after that it gets a little bit muddy. Miami was the easiest out of the middle pack, since they’ve had a historic season and held their own at ACCs. Besides the V4, the Canes have done what they needed to do in order to secure a bid. In the middle with them will certainly be Alabama. Despite a tough V8 loss at SECs, Alabama has had an impressive season with wins over Duke & Miami. With this backing them up, we believe that they’ve got a really great chance at a ride to NCAAs. Lake Wheeler - ALABAMA V8: 1” behind Miami Lake Wheeler - ALABAMA 2V8: 0.2” ahead of Miami ACC - DUKE V8: 6.61” behind Miami ACC - DUKE 2V8: 8.4” behind Miami Now for the controversial take: Columbia > Duke Unfortunately, the Lions’ schedule for the season really sandbagged them with possibilities to be ranked. With only 2 races against ranked teams, their full capabilities have not really been tested until this weekend. Regardless, Columbia did have a notable margin on Brown a month ago, & at Ivy Leagues their V8 finished less than 3” back on the Bears. The 2V8 & V4 had less impressive margins on the Ivy League top 3, but we believe they still would have finished ahead of Duke DUKE V8: 6.61” behind #14 team & 13.43” behind #10 team COLUMBIA V8: 2.889” behind #9 team & 6.491” behind #5 team DUKE 2V8: 8.4” behind no. 14 team & no. 6 team COLUMBIA 2V8: 7.838” behind no. 9 & no. 5 team Ohio State > Duke Ohio St raced Syracuse back at the Wolverine Duals on April 25th & had better margins on them than Duke did this weekend. Obviously multiple weeks have passed between then & now, but since there’s not much to go off of, we think the NCAA will lean the way of the Buckeyes We’re very surprised to not see Michigan, Dartmouth, Radcliffe, Indiana, & Penn, but it’s a tough field out there. Michigan in particular has had appearances at nearly every NCAA since its origination back in 1997. Don’t doubt the Big Blue though, as we’re sure that next year they’ll come back with a VENGEANCE to reclaim their bid. XOXO, The Catch ‘97

It is officially conference weekend! This week’s art is done by Amber Tulloch, a rower at the University of Central Florida. Thank you so much @amberkatetullochart for sharing this piece with us! Over the course of 3 days, Friday through Sunday, 89 NCAA Division 1 schools will compete for conference championship titles and vie for a bid to the big dance, the NCAA National Championship Regatta. It’s interesting sometimes how conference championships pan out. Some teams are completely tapered going into it, with hopes of making a statement and getting an At-Large bid. Other teams will train right through their championship weekend, eking out a little more boat speed in the long run and trusting the work they’ve done so far to take them to NCAA’s. So you will not be seeing top speeds from most of the teams here, that will come at NCAAs at the Lake Lanier Olympic Park! Ivy League Last year they went 5 deep into the Ivy League, giving At-Large bids to Penn, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, and Brown. Based on how the rankings have been shaking out, we’re not sure if that will happen again, but you never know. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the Ivy’s this year, and we honestly love it. Princeton vs. Brown will be a VERY interesting matchup to watch, and Columbia is definitely not going to roll over for anyone. Harvard-Radcliffe has yet to live up to last year’s hype, but they certainly shouldn’t be counted out of it. Also in the mix is Dartmouth, who’s been hard to read or predict this year. Check out the comments for previews on the ACC, Big 10, and Big 12!! ⬇️

+5,000 FOLLOWERS!! WOW!! Words cannot describe how grateful we are for the amount of support we’ve received from you all. To think we started this account on March 16, 2025 with no idea that it would grow this much. The name was inspired by all the women who attended the very first National Championship in 1997, as they paved the way for all of us to do what we love at such a high level. We are so excited to share our love and passion for rowing with you all and we love to see your passion for it too!! We are here to grow the sport of rowing and we couldn’t do that without our fans, so thank you so much for everything. Here’s to more seasons of results and drama 🎉🥂🍾 As a result of our growth this past year, we will be at NCAAs in Georgia! As always XOXO, The Catch ‘97 (aka Gossip Girl of Rowing!) *Pictured here is the cover of the program for the FIRST EVER NCAA Women’s Rowing Championship in 1997! #ncaa #rowing #rowingrelated #ncaarowing #5,000

If you’re new to the NCAA D1 Rowing world or needed a little refresher before heading into conference championship weekend, we’ve got you covered! Many people think that the NCAA D1 Rowing Championship comprises the 22 fastest teams in the nation. This is a common misconception!! To ensure fairness and equal opportunities to all conferences, conference winners (except the SEC) get an automatic entry to the championship. After that, another 12 teams will be selected to compete based on their season performance and conference championship standings. This means that if X team gets 3rd in the F conference, but is faster than Y team who won the G conference, X team could still possibly not receive a bid due to limited spots. While sometimes frustrating for teams in fast conferences, this, in turn, ensures fair entrance for everyone, as opposed to just choosing the top 22 teams in the nation. Every school is required to at least field the 3 NCAA boat categories (1V8, 2V8, and 1V4) at their conference championship. Interestingly, you could technically win a conference championship but not go to NCAAs, as automatic qualifier bids only count off of overall points for the NCAA category boats (1V8, 2V8, 1V4). In this breakdown, you’ll also notice we included which NCAA Region each conference is located in respectively. This might be helpful when looking at the NCAA Regional Rankings that are posted every week or so. We’ll make sure to let you know where you can watch the NCAA selection show! And be on the look out in the next couple weeks for a refresher on NCAAs & how it works! If you have any questions you’d want answered about NCAAs, or conferences, DM us/ask us in the comments! XOXO, The Catch ‘97 #ncaa #rowing #rowingrelated #ncaarowing

WOW! What a weekend and we’re only just getting started… If you’re living under a rock, we’ll give you a bit of an update on why there has been some movement in the polls after only one conference championship. The 2nd inaugural SEC Championships commenced Sunday morning, and featured 3 ranked teams, 2 of which in the top 5. There were BOUND to be some shifts. We figured the SEC Championship would look something like this in each category: 1st Texas, 2nd Tennessee, 3rd Alabama, and 4th Oklahoma. This was purely based on numbers, as Texas was heading into this race ranked #1, Tennessee at #3, Alabama at #13, and Oklahoma unranked. Boy were we wrong. The day began with upsets in the lower boat categories such as the 2V4, 3V8, and 3V4. Tennessee took gold in the first three races of the day (2V4, 3V8, and 3V4) over Texas, and Oklahoma took bronze ahead of Alabama in the 3V4. The 1V4 and 2V8 ended in the order that we expected, but the 1V8+ category was where things took a complete turn. At this point in the day Texas was sitting in the lead with 48 points and Tennessee with 43 points. With the 1V8+ race in sight, this would ultimately be where the championship would be decided. With the Longhorns Varsity 8+ going lossless all season long, we assumed it would be a done deal especially with history on their side. Despite this, once Tennessee got up on the start they stayed up, Texas kept connection all the way down the course but just could not seem to get their bow ball ahead. Tennessee’s 1V8+ crew won the SEC conference championship for their team! While this was happening, there was another insane battle happening a few hundred meters back on the course. Oklahoma also took a page out of the Volunteers handbook and got up on their higher ranked foes and stayed up, all the way through the finish line. It seems like Alabama might have been a bit blinded by this season’s success and forgot to watch out for some sneaky Sooners. Or Oklahoma just put together a really quick first 8+! More of our thoughts in the comments below ⬇️

It’s time for the second ever “SHARK Attack of the Week”!! If you didn’t catch our last post, here’s a quick run down ➡️ This season we have partnered with HUDSON Boat Works to recognize a crew who rowed in a HUDSON racing shell and had an OUTSTANDING race! This is not a weekly occurrence but only when we notice an extraordinary ‘hunt’ from a crew. While there were a few HUDSON crews who excelled this weekend, the Bates College Varsity Eight especially caught our eye! Bates went into this weekend ranked number 2 in the CRCA Poll and ready for a dogfight down the course. They were set to race #1 Williams College, runner-ups of the 2025 National Championship, and #3 Tufts, the defending 2025 National Champions and 2025 NESCAC Champions. Opening up the morning with heats, the Bobcats needed to place 1st or 2nd to advance to the Grand Finals if they wanted a shot at the NESCAC trophy. The Bates 2V8+ placed 2nd behind Williams landing them a spot in the GF and their 1V8+ placed 1st also heading to the GF. The Bobcats took 4th in the 2V8+ ahead of Williams (a great ‘hunt’ for this crew as well). In order to win the trophy, the Bates 1V8+ needed to take home a win over the defending National Champs and the number 1 ranked program in the country. The crew got it done, taking down #1 Williams by over 2”, and #3 Tufts by 7”. Tufts and Bates tied with 50 points each, but the tiebreaker is the 1V8+! Bates takes the NESCAC for the first time in 4 years and eighth time EVER in Bates College Rowing history! The Bobcats earned their Automatic Bid to the NCAA DIII National Championships. Congratulations to the Bates Bobcats on an incredible weekend, and best of luck to you all at the 2026 National Championship! See lineup below ⬇️ Cox: Leah Brody (So.) (S) Virginia Adams (So.) Olivia Smith (So.) Maggie Gill (Jr.) Quinn Gleason (Sr.) Megan O’Donnell (Jr.) Isabelle Martin (Sr.) Greta Oberdiek (So.) (B) Hannah de Fontaine (Sr.) Thank you to HUDSON for partnering with us on this and congratulations again to @batescollegerowing @batesrowing for an amazing weekend! XOXO, The Catch ‘97 P.S. Keep your eyes peeled for another exciting collab with @beashark next Monday #beashark

Week 10 is somewhat of the calm before the storm as we’re now just 7 days out from most conference championships. 22 of the top 25 teams around the country will take this weekend off from competing to do their last minute preparations before vying for an automatic qualification spot in the 2026 National Championship. To start this weekend off we have the Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta where programs from A10, CAA, MAAC, Patriot League, and the all-new Mid-American Conference are greasing up the wheels before their respective championships. Temple has been on a roll this season after taking back the Kelly Cup against hometown rival Drexel, and they are looking at a good chance at getting that AQ to NCAAs this year. On Sunday we have our first conference championship of the 2025-2026 season. Racing at the second inaugural SE C championship is #1 Texas, #3 Tennessee, #13 Alabama, and Oklahoma. Due to there only being 4 programs competing, the SEC Championship does not offer an AQ to NCAAs. Under NCAA rule there must be a minimum of 6 teams within the conference for the championship to qualify as an “Automatic Qualifier”. Maybe some other SEC schools need to invest in rowing….. Right now the regional ranking has Texas ranked ahead of Tennessee in every NCAA boat category, but these two haven’t gone head to head since last June. Both programs have improved a lot since last season, so it will be some extremely tough competition on Sunday. Alabama will likely be coming out HOT as they are relying on this seasons results and how close they can get to both the Longhorns and the Volunteers. This is their last ditch effort to prove to those who decide the at-large bids that they are worthy of competing at the highest level. Anyone want to donate to us so we can watch the SEC livestream?😅 (all jokes) XOXO, The Catch ‘97

It’s obvious the poll is beginning to settle down since teams are taking weekends off to prep for Conference Championships. This has to be the quietest weekend we’ve seen yet, but it says the most about where programs are at. We know that BU, Columbia, Dartmouth, won’t be too thrilled about this week’s poll, but it really all comes down to the NCAA National committee. BU does not have much to worry about here as they will likely take the automatic qualification to NCAAs, but for teams like Columbia and Dartmouth, they will be relying on their performance from this weekend and at Ivy League Champs to receive an At-Large Bid. The most surprising thing for us was that Rutgers did not take a hit or any sort of falter after their 1V8+’s sub par performance. They must be solely hanging on after their 2V8+ and 1V4+ finishes, and the CRCA is clearly very reluctant to move programs now that the season is winding down. The Rutgers 2V8+ went 3” faster than their 1V8+, but these times can’t REALLY be compared, as the wind was fluctuating a fair amount. Clearly the Scarlet Knights have some serious seat racing to do in their 8+’s before Big 10’s next weekend, but we wouldn’t count them out just yet. Rutgers is a scrappy program with BIG racing capabilities, and that’ll certainly be on display as they vie for an NCAA bid. Dartmouth took the biggest jump, climbing from 23 to 20 after an impressive and consistent weekend. They finished 2nd overall in team points at Women’s Sprints, and it’s obvious that the Big Green have been steadily improving throughout the season. Dartmouth finished 2nd over Brown in the 1V4+, 4th in the 2V8+ (just half a second behind Ivy foe Radcliffe), and third in the 1V8+! Read more on Columbia & Penn in the comments below ⬇️

Getting into the thick of it here in Week 9! This week’s art is done by Taylor Buccicone from the Steel City Rowing Club - Class of 2028! Thank you so much @taylor_buccicone_rowing for creating this unique piece for us🩷 This weekend is the couple days of regular season racing for most teams before heading into their respective championships. This cranks up the heat, as its the last chance for many of these teams to face non-conference opponents conferences to win CRCA/Regional Committee votes. Some bubble teams hoping for an NCAA bid that race this weekend are: #21 Radcliffe, #23 Dartmouth, and unranked Columbia. These Ivy foes will face off at Women’s Eastern Sprints and are going up against #9 Brown, and #12 Rutgers. Considering how close the Ivy League Championship is, this weekend is BIG for all these teams. Both Radcliffe and Dartmouth have not yet found the same success they had last year, but as they near peak speed for the end of the season, there’s no telling what could happen. Columbia has somewhat been victims of their weak schedule, as their run at Brown was the last time they raced a bigger opponent. It’s still surprising to us that their near upset wasn’t enough to keep them ranked, but that’s far gone now. If there was ever a time to prove your worth, it’s this weekend.Their last shot before the Ivy League Championships. All eyes will be in Worcester this weekend to see how things shake out amongst these crews. Check comments for preview on Princeton, UCF, and Penn!! ⬇️

Just like that, we’re two months into the 2026 racing season. For Week 8 we’ve got some shifts in the top top 10, more Alabama/Duke/Miami shuffling, and some 19-21 changes. For a more in depth recap of the actual racing, please go check out our weekend review on JRN!! Well, the Stanford v Texas dual happened and it seems that opinions are completely split. The Cardinal took 1st in every race other than the 1V8+, but yet they took a stiff bump down to #2. A lot of you have dmed or responded asking us HOW this could be possible, so we’ll explain. Using the NCAA point system, a team taking 1st in the 1V8+ and 2nd in the 2V8+ and 1V4+ would earn the SAME amount of points as a team taking 2nd in the 1V8+ but first in the other two categories. Per NCAA rules (as well as rowing custom everywhere), the 1V8+ stands as the tie-breaker, thus making Texas the “national champions” in this scenario. We know it FEELS wrong, and a lot of you have said that the NCAA trophy is a team effort, which it 100% is, but when it’s this close it comes down to the top athletes on each team. Either way it was a great showing by both top programs and we CANNOT wait to watch a rematch in the A-Final next month. Read more on Lake Wheeler drama in the comments below ⬇️

ENTER FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN A FREE @beashark x @jlracing NEW pink SHARK unisuit! We’re so excited to partner with HUDSON and JL Racing on their new rowing apparel collaboration! This giveaway features the chance to win a Women’s Pink SHARK Unisuit or Men’s Pink SHARK Unisuit. A big thank you to HUDSON and JL Racing for the opportunity to give you all some high-tech gear! Anyone can enter to win, see below for details ⬇️ ✅Like this post! ✅Follow @beashark , @jlracing , & @thecatch97 ✅Tag a teammate or program you think is underrated ✅Reposting this post on your story & tagging us counts as one EXTRA entry *Limited to 3 comments per person, 4 entries total (3 comments and a story repost) **Delivery to the US or Canada only - sizes available are in the pre-store - items will ship in June 2026 The winner will be announced on Monday, May 4th (1 week from today!!!) at 7PM EST! Good luck everyone! XOXO, The Catch ‘97 #beashark #jlracing #rowing