Championship Results
OKLAHOMA CITY – The 2019 American Athletic Conference Women's Rowing Championship had a few familiar feel despite a new schedule as UCF was its fifth-straight league title. The Knights were able to hold off a strong charge from SMU at the US Rowing National High Performance Center, winning by the smallest margin in conference history.
Severe weather conditions forced the championship to be moved up to Friday while 2019 mark the first season of scoring only in NCAA events; the Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight and Varsity Four.
UCF took two of the three events with wins in the Second Varsity Eight and Varsity Four while finishing second in the Varsity Eight. It was SMU that won the V8, knocking off the Knights for the first time in five years. The Mustangs also finished second in the 2V8 and third in the V4 for 176 team points. It was just four points back of UCF for first.
Tulsa (140), Temple (124) and San Diego State (100) all reached the century mark in points while UConn (68) and Old Dominion (52) rounded out the field.
Weather played a factor throughout the championship, moving up the event 49 hours and then delaying another four on Friday as high winds and debris damaged lane lines at the start and a breakage in the first race of the day.
UCF finally got things started with a win in the Second Varsity Eight as the Knights held off SMU by just over two seconds with a time of 7:09.336.
The Knights went two-for-two as they took the Varsity Four in open water at 8:07.240. Tulsa came in second, four ticks ahead of SMU in third.
SMU ended the streak with its first-ever Varsity Eight Championship and did so in open water. UCF was able to finish ahead Tulsa however to accumulate enough team points to take the 2019 title.
UCF went on to make it four wins on the day as the Knights took the Second Varsity Four in 8:28.259.
Temple became one of just three crews to win on Friday as the Owls sped to a time of 7:52.813 in the Third Varsity Eight.
SMU joined UCF as multi-time winners as the Mustangs took the final event of the championship with a time of 8:31.430 in the Third Varsity Four.
The 2019 NCAA Rowing Championship is set for May 31-June 2 in Indianapolis, Ind.
American Athletic Conference Championship Standings
1. UCF – 180 points
2. SMU – 176 points
3. Tulsa – 140 points
4. Temple – 124 points
5. San Diego State – 100 points
6. UConn – 68 points
7. Old Dominion – 52 points
American Athletic Conference Coaching Staff of the Year
SMU
All-American Athletic Conference First Team
Maja Barnouw, Sr., UConn
Hannah Broadland, So., San Diego State
Emily Fogg, Sr., SMU
Bailey Greenslit, Sr., Sacramento State
Grace Lindberg, Sr., UCF
Nicole Mayer, Jr., UCF
Marija Medelinskaite, Sr., UCF
Taylor Phy, Sr., Old Dominion
Julie Poulsen, Jr., UCF
Brittany Rigg, Sr., SMU
Ellie Russell, Gr., Tulsa
Gab Thomas, Sr., Temple
All-American Athletic Conference Second Team
Samantha Barber, Sr., Tulsa
Helen Bauer, Fr., San Diego State
Melissa Chambers, Sr., SMU
Luci Derrick, So., UCF
Elena Esteban, So., UCF
Rachel Kelly, Sr., Temple
Elizabeth McCabe, Sr., Tulsa
Adelaide Moore, Sr., SMU
Edvina Nesukaitiyte, So., UCF
Micaela Nowacki, Sr., UConn
Ciara O'Sullivan, Sr., Temple