Syracuse women’s rowing advances 5 boats to ACC Championship, places 4th
All five of Syracuse’s boats advanced through the ACC preliminaries, but that wasn’t enough, as the Orange placed fourth in the Grand Finals. Meghan Hendricks | Daily Orange File Photo
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After winning its first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference title in 2024, Syracuse women’s rowing entered this weekend searching for a return to the top of the conference. After all, the Orange placed third in last year’s ACC Championship and nearly cracked the top 10 in the NCAA regatta.
Instead, No. 10 Syracuse left Raleigh, North Carolina, with another frustrating finish, placing fourth at the ACC Championships behind No. 3 Stanford, No. 6 California, and No. 8 Virginia.
Despite qualifying all five boats for Saturday’s final for the second straight season, SU couldn’t keep pace with a dominant Stanford squad, which swept every race Saturday en route to its second consecutive conference title.
Syracuse’s 103 points were no match for Stanford’s 132. Though, the Orange weren’t too far behind California’s 108 but succumbed to Virginia’s 118. Those were the only other schools to qualify each boat for Saturday.
In the preliminaries, Syracuse’s varsity 8 took second at 6:15.290 behind only Stanford. The second varsity 8 followed with another runner-up finish at 6:21.740, once again behind the Cardinal (6:13.990).
While the other boats finished top two, the Orange’s biggest challenge came in the third varsity 8, placing third (6:37.950), nearly identical to the Doc Hosea Invitational, when the Orange finished two seconds behind UVA. Despite the result, the boat qualified for Saturday’s final.
Syracuse’s first and second varsity 4s placed second at 7:07.280 and 7:11.730, respectively, Saturday. Unlike last season’s ACC preliminaries, where Syracuse earned first-place finishes in the second varsity 8 and varsity 4, the Orange didn’t top a heat.
However, SU’s statement performance came from the second varsity 4, earning silver at 7:15.490. The second varsity 8 followed with another medal-winning performance, placing third in 6:27.260. In the varsity 8, the Orange (6:19.830) narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish, falling just under half a second shy of California. Syracuse’s varsity 4 (7:17.650) also finished fourth.
To cap off the Grand Finals, SU’s third varsity 8 posted a time of 6:44.960, finishing fifth. The Cardinal swept all five Grand Final races and earned first place, after also dominating Friday’s heats.
Syracuse’s season could continue at the NCAA Championships after the fourth-place finish. Last season, the Orange earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships and ultimately placed 12th.
If selected again, the Orange will face familiar ACC foes in Gainesville, Georgia, including Stanford, which has consistently stood in the Orange’s way over the last two seasons.
