2026 Women's Crew Season Preview
3/26/2026 1:59:00 PM | Women's Crew
After a long offseason of grueling workouts and practices on the chilly Seekonk River, No. 7 Brown Women’s Crew is ready to kick off the spring portion of its 2026 schedule this weekend. The Bears will travel to New Jersey for a race against No. 6 Princeton, looking to avenge last year’s 3.6-second March 29 loss to their Ivy League foe.
BWC is coming off a 2024-25 season that saw them take home a sixth-place finish in the Grand Final of the NCAA Championship in West Windsor, New Jersey. Last year’s Bears had nine seniors; this year’s program returns 12 seniors who bring a wealth of experience to one of the country's premier rowing programs.
BWC took full advantage of the offseason, scheduling scrimmages against Dartmouth and Rhode Island and traveling to Florida to escape the cold and continue their rigorous training program.
Fall Slate
At the Head of the Charles regatta last October, BWC kicked things off on day one with the Club Fours, coxed by Katherine Mitchell and stroked by Olivia Tingley-Kelley, earning a fifth-place finish with a time of 18:13.318.
On day two, Bruno had two boats competing in the Championship Eights. Boat “A” was coxed by Summer Balla-Kellett and stroked by Adair Beck, earning a sixth-place finish with a time of 15:45.743. Boat “B” was coxed by Caitlyn Roddy and stroked by Nicole Urquiaga, finishing fourteenth overall with a time of 16:13. 989.
The Championship Fours crew, coxed by Fiona Daly and stroked by Ellie Knight, came in sixth place after posting a time of 17:49.541.
Schedule
The Bears begin their spring season with an Ivy League race at No. 6 Princeton on March 28, where they will look to avenge last season’s loss to the Tigers.
The lone home race of the season is scheduled for April 4, as Dartmouth travels to Providence. Brown will then head to New Jersey for a weekend full of racing, beginning with the Ivy Invitational on April 11. On April 12, the Bears will race against No. 22 Columbia and Boston University at Overpeck.
A matchup with Cornell is scheduled for April 25, while the Eastern Sprints are set to take place a week after that on May 3. BWC turned in a strong showing at last year’s Eastern Sprints, with all six boats finishing in the top three and the Varsity Eight earning a second-place finish.
The Ivy Championships will take place from May 16-17, with the Bears yet again looking to build on a good performance at the event last season, earning top-three finishes in all six boats that raced.
Roster Breakdown
The 2025-26 Bears have a very balanced roster, with eight freshmen, 15 sophomores, 12 juniors, and 12 seniors. Summer Balla-Kellett and Holly Crews, who coxed and rowed with last year’s Varsity Eight, both return to the program after securing CRCA Second Team All-American honors in 2025.
In total, BWC returns five members from last season’s Varsity Eight, with stiff competition throughout the offseason for spots on this year’s top crew. This year’s senior class for the Bears consists of Kiki Fraim, Brooke Halvorsen, Annabelle Harbold, Hannah Hickson, Ellie Knight, Caitlyn Roddy, Eugenia Rodriguez-Vazquez, Sophia Smith, Olivia Tingley-Kelley, Tessa Tomkinson, Mary Claire Warren, and Isla Wilding.
Seven returning athletes were recognized with CRCA Scholar-Athlete honors last season, with Hickson, Claire Warren, Tomkinson, Wilding, Roddy, Lizzie Hedeman, and Calissa Snyder Cox all rowing for the Bears in 2026.
