Sunday, May 30
Sarasota, FL
8:12 AM
Brown University
vs
NCAA Championships
Women’s Crew Places Eighth in Team Standings at 2021 NCAA Championships
5/30/2021 2:54:00 PM | Women's Crew
SARASOTA, Fla. – Brown University women's crew placed eighth in the team standings at the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Rowing Championships on Sunday morning at Nathan Benderson Park, finishing in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships for the 23rd time out of 24 championships.
One of three programs to compete in all 24 NCAA Championships since the event's inception in 1997, the Bears totaled 88 team points for their eighth-place finish. Brown came in as the top school from the Ivy League or any other non-power five conference. The Bears finished in the top eight of the team standings for the first time since 2017.
Racing in the petite finals in all three boats, Brown came in second in the first varsity eight for eighth overall and 45 team points, first in the second varsity eight for seventh overall and 32 team points, and sixth in the varsity four for 12th overall and 11 team points.
"We are really grateful to have had the opportunity to race here," Brown head coach John Murphy said. "We are really proud of the team for staying prepared throughout the past year and were happy to get the opportunity to race against the best in the nation."
After participating in their last practice on the water on March 11, 2020, the Bears waited a full 365 days to return to the water for practice and competed for the first time in 524 days on April 3, 2021 against Rhode Island. With the Ivy League initially only allowing for local competition during the spring, Brown was able to compete three times – the minimum number of races to be eligible for an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships.
"It felt really good to be out here," senior and 2V8 stroke Addie Dahl said. "We worked hard to get to this point even though we have only been on the water since March 11. Everyone really put their heads down and worked hard on their own. That was really incredible. Our coaches worked really hard to make races happen to allow us to qualify."
Later in the spring, the conference allowed for teams to travel to postseason events, creating the opportunity for the Bears to compete at the NCAA Championships.
"It was such a blessing to be here," junior and 1V8 7-seat Hannah Yazdani said. "The odds were against us this year with all the rules given the COVID restrictions – rightly prioritizing safety. The moment we were back as a team, we had our eye on a racing season. Our coaches took every chance to race and get us here."
In the team standings, Brown came just behind seventh-place Rutgers (96 team points), while finishing ahead of ninth-place California (83) and 10th-place Syracuse (69) in addition to 12 other schools in the 22-team field.
"Having this opportunity was really huge," Dahl said. "Being able to showcase what this team is made of is an incredible moment and opportunity. It's an incredible team to be a part of. I'm really proud of every single person on this team. We're racing for everyone that was not on the NCAA roster and all the alumnae. You can really feel that legacy and unity in this program – throughout this weekend especially."
Texas won the team title with 126 points, winning a tiebreaker with Stanford and Washington due to its higher finish in the first varsity eight grand final. Alongside first-place Texas, second-place Stanford, and third-place Washington, Michigan (108 team points) rounded out the top-four podium schools. Fifth-place Virginia (106), sixth-place Ohio State (104), and seventh-place Rutgers (96) followed that quartet. Texas won the 1V8 while Washington captured the 2V8 and V4 titles. The Longhorns won their first team title in program history.
Finals Race Recap
In the Bears' final race of the regatta, the 17th-seeded first varsity eight placed second in the petite final for eighth overall and 45 team points behind a time of 6:30.063 as Brown vaulted nine spots past its initial seeding. Brown topped No. 8 seed California (6:32.477) by 2.414 seconds while trailing No. 7 seed Ohio State (6:27.717) by 2.346 seconds.
"It was great to be lining up six boats across since we haven't done that in two years now," Yazdani said. "We really put our best races down and got faster each time we went down the course. It was great to have such tight competition, and we had some really good races."
The Brown 1V8 also beat No. 9 seed Princeton (6:32.569), No. 11 seed Alabama (6:38.759), and No. 14 seed Syracuse (6:42.019). The Bears' 1V8 finished 3-0 against both Cal and Princeton at NCAAs.
Brown's eighth-seeded second varsity eight won its petite final for seventh overall and 32 team points with a time of 6:30.915. The Bears bested No. 9 seed SMU (6:32.107) by 1.192 seconds and No. 10 seed California (6:34.013) by 3.098 seconds in addition to defeating No. 7 seed Rutgers (6:34.601), No. 11 seed Syracuse (6:40.017), and No. 14 seed Wisconsin (6:44.053). The Bears' 2V8 went 2-0 against SMU, Rutgers, and Syracuse at NCAAs.
"We race each other every day on the Seekonk River which helps us to train for those back-and-forth races," Dahl said. "Even with that, there is nothing like race day, going seat-for-seat down the whole course. It's great to go head-to-head with the best teams and show that we can be up there with them."
The Bears' seventh-seeded varsity four came in sixth place in the petite final for 12th overall and 11 team points at 7:29.597. Brown trailed No. 11 seed Syracuse (7:26.863) by 2.734 seconds. No. 9 seed Rutgers (7:21.861), No. 12 seed Washington State (7:23.997), No. 8 seed Duke (7:24.967), and No. 14 seed California (7:25.365) took the race's top four spots.
Brown finished as the top Ivy League and non-power five school in all three boats. The Bears' came in the top eight of the 1V8 for the first time since 2017 and placed in the top 10 for the 20th time. Brown's 2V8 placed in the top seven for the first time since 2017 and in the top 10 for the 24th time.
"Coming into NCAAs this year, we really didn't know how fast we were, but we were on attack mode," Yazdani said. "We had been preparing for this, and so when we got the bid, we knew we were ready. We wanted to prove that we deserved to be here, and I think we showed that this weekend."
Due to weather, officials adjusted the day's schedule with racing beginning at 9:00 a.m. and proceeding on eight-minute centers. Every race except the first varsity eight grand final was raced in that window before the 1V8 grand final was delayed until 12:40 p.m. due to lightning in the area.
The Bears persevered through high heat and humidity throughout the week with mostly still waters during the morning sessions. Brown's finals races took place just before a group of thunderstorms moved through the Sarasota area.
Brown Schedule/Results (24-18)
Friday, May 28 (9-3)
9:00 a.m. – I Eights – Heat 1, Lane 1 – Second (3-1) – 6:22.956
9:48 a.m. – II Eights – Heat 1, Lane 4 – Second (3-1) – 6:34.142
10:48 a.m. – Fours – Heat 2, Lane 4 – Second (3-1) – 7:14.346
Saturday, May 29 (6-9)
8:48 a.m. – I Eights – A/B Semifinal 2, Lane 5 – Fourth (2-3) – 6:17.996
9:36 a.m. – II Eights – A/B Semifinal 2, Lane 5 – Fourth (2-3) – 6:24.084
10:12 a.m. – Fours – A/B Semifinal 1, Lane 5 – Fourth (2-3) – 7:13.793
Sunday, May 30 (9-6)
10:04 a.m. – Fours – Petite Final, Lane 3 – Sixth (0-5) – 7:29.597 (11 Points)
10:20 a.m. – II Eights – Petite Final, Lane 3 – First (5-0) – 6:30.915 (32 Points)
10:36 a.m. – I Eights – Petite Final, Lane 3 – Second (4-1) – 6:30.063 (45 Points)
Brown Sunday Race Results
First Varsity Eight – Petite Final
1. Ohio State: 6:27.717
2. Brown: 6:30.063 (8th Overall)
3. California: 6:32.477
4. Princeton: 6:32.569
5. Alabama: 6:38.759
6. Syracuse: 6:42.019
Second Varsity Eight – Petite Final
1. Brown: 6:30.915 (7th Overall)
2. SMU: 6:32.107
3. California: 6:34.013
4. Rutgers: 6:34.601
5. Syracuse: 6:40.017
6. Wisconsin: 6:44.053
Varsity Four – Petite Final
1. Rutgers: 7:21.861
2. Washington St.: 7:23.997
3. Duke: 7:24.967
4. California: 7:25.365
5. Syracuse: 7:26.863
6. Brown: 7:29.597 (12th Overall)
Final Team Standings*
1. Texas: 126
2. Stanford: 126
3. Washington: 126
4. Michigan: 108
5. Virginia: 106
6. Ohio State: 104
7. Rutgers: 96
8. Brown: 88
9. California: 83
10. Syracuse: 69
11. SMU: 68
12. Princeton: 67
13. Alabama: 55
14. Wisconsin: 55
15. Washington State: 55
16. Duke: 55
17. Tennessee: 36
18. Navy: 34
19. Northeastern: 20
20. Gonzaga: 19
21. Rhode Island: 14
22. Marist: 8
* Ties broken by finish in first varsity eight.
Race Notes
Brown, ranked No. 19 in the latest CRCA Coaches Poll, faced 10 other teams in the rankings in the finals including No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Rutgers, No. 8 California, No. 9 Syracuse, No. 10 Duke, No. 11 Princeton, No. 12 SMU, No. 13 Alabama, No. 15 Wisconsin, and No. 16 Washington State … Brown went 9-6 on the day, finishing NCAAs with a 24-18 record … On the year, the 1V8 improved to 13-5, the 2V8 moved to 14-4, and the AV4 finished 9-9 … At NCAAs, the 1V8 went 9-5, the 2V8 went 10-4, and the AV4 went 5-9 … The 1V8 went 3-0 against Cal and Princeton at NCAAs, defeating the two crews in the heats, semis, and finals … The 2V8 finished NCAAs 2-0 against SMU, Rutgers, and Syracuse.
Boat Lineups
Gallery: (5-30-2021) Women's Crew: 2021 NCAA Days 2 and 3
One of three programs to compete in all 24 NCAA Championships since the event's inception in 1997, the Bears totaled 88 team points for their eighth-place finish. Brown came in as the top school from the Ivy League or any other non-power five conference. The Bears finished in the top eight of the team standings for the first time since 2017.
Racing in the petite finals in all three boats, Brown came in second in the first varsity eight for eighth overall and 45 team points, first in the second varsity eight for seventh overall and 32 team points, and sixth in the varsity four for 12th overall and 11 team points.
"We are really grateful to have had the opportunity to race here," Brown head coach John Murphy said. "We are really proud of the team for staying prepared throughout the past year and were happy to get the opportunity to race against the best in the nation."
After participating in their last practice on the water on March 11, 2020, the Bears waited a full 365 days to return to the water for practice and competed for the first time in 524 days on April 3, 2021 against Rhode Island. With the Ivy League initially only allowing for local competition during the spring, Brown was able to compete three times – the minimum number of races to be eligible for an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships.
"It felt really good to be out here," senior and 2V8 stroke Addie Dahl said. "We worked hard to get to this point even though we have only been on the water since March 11. Everyone really put their heads down and worked hard on their own. That was really incredible. Our coaches worked really hard to make races happen to allow us to qualify."
Later in the spring, the conference allowed for teams to travel to postseason events, creating the opportunity for the Bears to compete at the NCAA Championships.
"It was such a blessing to be here," junior and 1V8 7-seat Hannah Yazdani said. "The odds were against us this year with all the rules given the COVID restrictions – rightly prioritizing safety. The moment we were back as a team, we had our eye on a racing season. Our coaches took every chance to race and get us here."
In the team standings, Brown came just behind seventh-place Rutgers (96 team points), while finishing ahead of ninth-place California (83) and 10th-place Syracuse (69) in addition to 12 other schools in the 22-team field.
"Having this opportunity was really huge," Dahl said. "Being able to showcase what this team is made of is an incredible moment and opportunity. It's an incredible team to be a part of. I'm really proud of every single person on this team. We're racing for everyone that was not on the NCAA roster and all the alumnae. You can really feel that legacy and unity in this program – throughout this weekend especially."
Texas won the team title with 126 points, winning a tiebreaker with Stanford and Washington due to its higher finish in the first varsity eight grand final. Alongside first-place Texas, second-place Stanford, and third-place Washington, Michigan (108 team points) rounded out the top-four podium schools. Fifth-place Virginia (106), sixth-place Ohio State (104), and seventh-place Rutgers (96) followed that quartet. Texas won the 1V8 while Washington captured the 2V8 and V4 titles. The Longhorns won their first team title in program history.
Finals Race Recap
In the Bears' final race of the regatta, the 17th-seeded first varsity eight placed second in the petite final for eighth overall and 45 team points behind a time of 6:30.063 as Brown vaulted nine spots past its initial seeding. Brown topped No. 8 seed California (6:32.477) by 2.414 seconds while trailing No. 7 seed Ohio State (6:27.717) by 2.346 seconds.
"It was great to be lining up six boats across since we haven't done that in two years now," Yazdani said. "We really put our best races down and got faster each time we went down the course. It was great to have such tight competition, and we had some really good races."
The Brown 1V8 also beat No. 9 seed Princeton (6:32.569), No. 11 seed Alabama (6:38.759), and No. 14 seed Syracuse (6:42.019). The Bears' 1V8 finished 3-0 against both Cal and Princeton at NCAAs.
Brown's eighth-seeded second varsity eight won its petite final for seventh overall and 32 team points with a time of 6:30.915. The Bears bested No. 9 seed SMU (6:32.107) by 1.192 seconds and No. 10 seed California (6:34.013) by 3.098 seconds in addition to defeating No. 7 seed Rutgers (6:34.601), No. 11 seed Syracuse (6:40.017), and No. 14 seed Wisconsin (6:44.053). The Bears' 2V8 went 2-0 against SMU, Rutgers, and Syracuse at NCAAs.
"We race each other every day on the Seekonk River which helps us to train for those back-and-forth races," Dahl said. "Even with that, there is nothing like race day, going seat-for-seat down the whole course. It's great to go head-to-head with the best teams and show that we can be up there with them."
The Bears' seventh-seeded varsity four came in sixth place in the petite final for 12th overall and 11 team points at 7:29.597. Brown trailed No. 11 seed Syracuse (7:26.863) by 2.734 seconds. No. 9 seed Rutgers (7:21.861), No. 12 seed Washington State (7:23.997), No. 8 seed Duke (7:24.967), and No. 14 seed California (7:25.365) took the race's top four spots.
Brown finished as the top Ivy League and non-power five school in all three boats. The Bears' came in the top eight of the 1V8 for the first time since 2017 and placed in the top 10 for the 20th time. Brown's 2V8 placed in the top seven for the first time since 2017 and in the top 10 for the 24th time.
"Coming into NCAAs this year, we really didn't know how fast we were, but we were on attack mode," Yazdani said. "We had been preparing for this, and so when we got the bid, we knew we were ready. We wanted to prove that we deserved to be here, and I think we showed that this weekend."
Due to weather, officials adjusted the day's schedule with racing beginning at 9:00 a.m. and proceeding on eight-minute centers. Every race except the first varsity eight grand final was raced in that window before the 1V8 grand final was delayed until 12:40 p.m. due to lightning in the area.
The Bears persevered through high heat and humidity throughout the week with mostly still waters during the morning sessions. Brown's finals races took place just before a group of thunderstorms moved through the Sarasota area.
Brown Schedule/Results (24-18)
Friday, May 28 (9-3)
9:00 a.m. – I Eights – Heat 1, Lane 1 – Second (3-1) – 6:22.956
9:48 a.m. – II Eights – Heat 1, Lane 4 – Second (3-1) – 6:34.142
10:48 a.m. – Fours – Heat 2, Lane 4 – Second (3-1) – 7:14.346
Saturday, May 29 (6-9)
8:48 a.m. – I Eights – A/B Semifinal 2, Lane 5 – Fourth (2-3) – 6:17.996
9:36 a.m. – II Eights – A/B Semifinal 2, Lane 5 – Fourth (2-3) – 6:24.084
10:12 a.m. – Fours – A/B Semifinal 1, Lane 5 – Fourth (2-3) – 7:13.793
Sunday, May 30 (9-6)
10:04 a.m. – Fours – Petite Final, Lane 3 – Sixth (0-5) – 7:29.597 (11 Points)
10:20 a.m. – II Eights – Petite Final, Lane 3 – First (5-0) – 6:30.915 (32 Points)
10:36 a.m. – I Eights – Petite Final, Lane 3 – Second (4-1) – 6:30.063 (45 Points)
Brown Sunday Race Results
First Varsity Eight – Petite Final
1. Ohio State: 6:27.717
2. Brown: 6:30.063 (8th Overall)
3. California: 6:32.477
4. Princeton: 6:32.569
5. Alabama: 6:38.759
6. Syracuse: 6:42.019
Second Varsity Eight – Petite Final
1. Brown: 6:30.915 (7th Overall)
2. SMU: 6:32.107
3. California: 6:34.013
4. Rutgers: 6:34.601
5. Syracuse: 6:40.017
6. Wisconsin: 6:44.053
Varsity Four – Petite Final
1. Rutgers: 7:21.861
2. Washington St.: 7:23.997
3. Duke: 7:24.967
4. California: 7:25.365
5. Syracuse: 7:26.863
6. Brown: 7:29.597 (12th Overall)
Final Team Standings*
1. Texas: 126
2. Stanford: 126
3. Washington: 126
4. Michigan: 108
5. Virginia: 106
6. Ohio State: 104
7. Rutgers: 96
8. Brown: 88
9. California: 83
10. Syracuse: 69
11. SMU: 68
12. Princeton: 67
13. Alabama: 55
14. Wisconsin: 55
15. Washington State: 55
16. Duke: 55
17. Tennessee: 36
18. Navy: 34
19. Northeastern: 20
20. Gonzaga: 19
21. Rhode Island: 14
22. Marist: 8
* Ties broken by finish in first varsity eight.
Race Notes
Brown, ranked No. 19 in the latest CRCA Coaches Poll, faced 10 other teams in the rankings in the finals including No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Rutgers, No. 8 California, No. 9 Syracuse, No. 10 Duke, No. 11 Princeton, No. 12 SMU, No. 13 Alabama, No. 15 Wisconsin, and No. 16 Washington State … Brown went 9-6 on the day, finishing NCAAs with a 24-18 record … On the year, the 1V8 improved to 13-5, the 2V8 moved to 14-4, and the AV4 finished 9-9 … At NCAAs, the 1V8 went 9-5, the 2V8 went 10-4, and the AV4 went 5-9 … The 1V8 went 3-0 against Cal and Princeton at NCAAs, defeating the two crews in the heats, semis, and finals … The 2V8 finished NCAAs 2-0 against SMU, Rutgers, and Syracuse.
Boat Lineups
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Crew
/ Women's Crew
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