Michigan
NCAA Championships (Heats)
U-M 2V8 Advances to A/B 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: 6:15.586 (4th of 5, advanced to C/D Semifinals)
Next U-M Event: Friday, May 29 -- at NCAA Championships Semifinals (Gainesville, Ga.), 4:04 p.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. The Michigan 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 Friday afternoon. Boats were aiming for a top-three finish in their heats, which yielded bids to A/B Semifinals and kept the path to Grand Finals open.
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.
With an eye on the weather in the area, the NCAA Championships are scheduled to conclude on Sunday (May 31). Later this afternoon, Michigan is set to compete in A/B semifinals in the 2V8 and in C/D semifinals in the 1V8 and 1V4 events, beginning at 4:04 p.m. Races will continue to be streamed live on NCAA.com.
Results
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)
