Previewing Syracuse women’s rowing’s 2025 campaign
Syracuse women's rowing will look to build off the program's first ACC championship in its 2025 campaign. Meghan Hendricks | Senior Staff Photographer
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Syracuse women’s rowing prides itself on cohesion. After winning its first Atlantic Coast Conference championship in program history last season, the team focused on strengthening its bonds in the offseason.
After intense Saturday practices, the team would hang out at the lake and eat dinner together. The food options ranged from bagels, pancakes and homemade Thanksgiving meals when November rolled around. Players then discussed their highs and lows of the day over the food.
The Orange’s cohesive nature propelled them to their remarkable 2024 campaign. Syracuse’s victory at ACCs snapped Virginia’s 13-season streak as ACC winners. SU — ranked 10th in the Women’s Division I Preseason Pocock Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association poll — intends to take over the Cavaliers’ role as the conference’s juggernaut in 2025.
“I think the culture is the cornerstone to the foundation,” Syracuse head coach Luke McGee said. “That makes it a program that can have the longevity that you’re seeking.”
Here’s everything to know about Syracuse before its season kicks off Saturday in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, at the B1G/ACC/Ivy Dual:
Preseason Endeavors
The Orange shipped their vessels up to Boston for the Head of the Charles Race on Oct. 20, 2024. Ultimately, Syracuse finished 12th and placed seventh among schools in the Championship Eight race at 15:54.634 after receiving a five-second penalty. The Orange were notably topped by Yale and Princeton, which they’ll face later this season.
Less than two weeks later, SU raced in the Cornell Fall Classic versus Cornell and Ithaca. All of its varsity 8s that participated won dominantly. Most notably, the 2V8’s 12:46.1 time topped both Cornell and Ithaca’s first varsity 8 boats by over a minute.
Despite the mixed success, McGee felt Syracuse’s annual training camp in Florida helped the team the most. Not only were newly-elected captains Caileigh Grimes, Ellie-Kate Hutchinson and Aphrodite Gioulekas communicating on the water, but SU’s younger players were, too.
“It looked like the newcomers or the younger athletes were speaking up in the boat and feeling comfortable to communicate in the boat,” the reigning back-to-back ACC Coach of the Year said. “Trust gets built and that confidence gets built where it’s not all top-down leadership. Everyone feels like their opinion is valued.”
Assessing SU’s Schedule
SU will take on Penn, Michigan and Ohio State Saturday in New Jersey at the B1G/ACC/Ivy Dual. It returns to the Empire State in Saratoga Springs on April 5 for Cayuga Cup meetings with Yale and Cornell.
Syracuse’s first ACC matchups will take place on the opposite side of the country in Redwood Shores, California, on April 12 and 13. On tap are two of the newest conference members in Stanford and California, SU’s first ACC clashes with the two schools after the conference expanded before the season.
“The broader ACC, with our new three new additions of Stanford, Cal and SMU, makes us arguably the strongest rowing conference in the country,” McGee said.
The Orange will rematch the Buckeyes in Princeton, New Jersey, on April 26. SU will also face Princeton and Tennessee on the same day. Finally, the ACC Championship is set for May 17 in Clemson, South Carolina, where Syracuse will look to defend its conference title.
If it qualifies, SU will race at the NCAA Championship in West Windsor, New Jersey, on May 31. Syracuse got an automatic bid to the event last year and finished 11th — just one point off tying its program-best mark.
3 Players to Watch
Ellie-Kate Hutchinson: The junior came to Syracuse from Northern Ireland and made an immense impact in her first two seasons. Hutchinson, a U23 World Champion, normally served as the seven-seat for the first varsity 8 in 2024. She held this role in the boat that won the ACC Championship. McGee said Hutchinson’s teammates admire her voice and are always bought into what she has to say, preparing her for another big year.
Olivia Bachert: Olivia Bachert was a crucial piece to the second varsity 8 in her freshman year. She was consistently placed into the two-seat, helping propel the boat to finish the ACC Championship last season. Following a U23 silver medal this summer, Bachert is poised for a breakout sophomore season.
Chloe Van de Meulebroecke: The coxswain didn’t get much attention last season with Grimes’ impressive command of the first varsity 8. However, Van de Meulebroecke coxed the varsity 4 that finished ahead of No. 5 Yale at the 2024 Cayuga Cup. The sophomore’s second varsity 4 also defeated Penn in the B1G/ACC/Ivy Dual last season.
