INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The University of California, Yale University and Princeton University topped the USRowing Collegiate Coaches Preseason Polls for men’s eights, lightweight men’s eights and lightweight women’s eights, respectively, USRowing announced Wednesday. The first USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association for NCAA Division I, II, and III women’s eights will be released next week.
In the men’s eight, the defending Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) champions from California garnered six of the eight first-place votes to take the top spot in the preseason poll. Washington, which finished third at last year’s IRA Championships, is ranked second to begin the season. The University of Wisconsin, which finished second at the IRAs, received the other two first-place votes but ranked fourth overall in the poll. Harvard University is ranked third, while Northeastern University rounded out the top five.
In the lightweight men’s eight, Yale University was the unanimous choice for the top spot in the poll, taking home all seven first-place votes. Yale was followed by the United States Naval Academy, Harvard, Princeton and Dartmouth College. Yale and Navy finished first and second, respectively, at last year’s IRA Championships.
In the lightweight women’s eight, the defending IRA champions from Princeton took home five of the six first-place votes. Radcliffe, which ranked fourth overall in the poll, garnered the other first-place vote. Wisconsin, coming off a runner-up finish to Princeton at the IRAs, ranked second followed by Stanford University. Georgetown University rounded out the top five.
Regular season polling in the men’s varsity eight and the men and women’s lightweight eights will begin next week and run through the end of the collegiate racing season. In addition, USRowing and the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association administer the Women’s NCAA Division I, II and III Collegiate Varsity Eights polls, which will start next week.
| USRowing Collegiate Men’s Varsity Eight Poll | |
|---|---|
| Team (1st-Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. University of California at Berkeley (6) | 155 |
| 2. University of Washington | 149 |
| 3. Harvard University | 137 |
| 4. University of Wisconsin (2) | 133 |
| 5. Northeastern University | 118 |
| 6. Cornell University | 117 |
| 7. Princeton University | 115 |
| 8. Brown University | 92 |
| 9. United States Naval Academy | 90 |
| 10. Yale University | 75 |
| 11. Dartmouth College | 71 |
| 12. University of Pennsylvania | 60 |
| 13. Oregon State University | 58 |
| 14. Stanford University | 46 |
| 15. Syracuse University | 38 |
| 16. Temple University | 37 |
| 17. University of Michigan | 36 |
| 18. Dowling College | 30 |
| 19. Boston University | 23 |
| 20. Rutgers University | 23 |
Others receiving votes: Georgetown University 15, Columbia University 4, Gonzaga University 2, Marist College 2, Marietta College 1, Trinity College 1, and University of Virginia 1.
| USRowing Collegiate Women’s Lightweight Eight Poll | |
|---|---|
| Team (1st-Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. Princeton University (5) | 119 |
| 2. University of Wisconsin | 110 |
| 3. Stanford University | 102 |
| 4. Radcliffe (1) | 93 |
| 5. Georgetown University | 89 |
| 6. Villanova University | 79 |
| 7. University of Delaware | 73 |
| 8. Mercyhurst College | 60 |
| 9. Long Beach State University | 56 |
| 10. San Diego State University | 55 |
| 11. University of California at Berkeley | 54 |
| 12. University of Central Florida | 45 |
| 13. University of California at San Diego | 43 |
| 14. Humboldt State University | 38 |
| 15. Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 28 |
Others receiving votes: University of California at Santa Barbara 24, University of California at Davis 21, St. Mary’s College 20, College of Holy Cross 19, University of Massachusetts 18, Creighton University 10, and University of Colorado 7.
| USRowing Collegiate Men’s Lightweight Eight Poll | |
|---|---|
| Team (1st-Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. Yale University (7) | 140 |
| 2. United States Naval Academy | 127 |
| 3. Harvard University | 115 |
| 4. Princeton University | 114 |
| 5. Dartmouth College | 97 |
| 6t. Columbia University | 96 |
| 6t. Cornell University | 96 |
| 8. University of Pennsylvania | 84 |
| 9. Georgetown University | 74 |
| 10. Rutgers University | 72 |
| 11. Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 60 |
| 12. University of Delaware | 46 |
| 13. Boston College | 34 |
| 14t. University of California at Santa Barbara | 24 |
| 14t. College of Holy Cross | 24 |
Others receiving votes: Fordham University 17, Georgia Tech 15, St. Joseph’s University 11, University of California at Los Angeles 8, University of California at Berkeley 7, University of California at Davis 6, and University of Minnesota 6.