University of Tennessee Athletics
#1 Lady Vols Earns 12th NCAA Championship Appearance in Program History
May 19, 2026 | Rowing
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Fresh off capturing the SEC Championship, the No. 1 Tennessee rowing team sets its sights on the NCAA Championships. The Lady Vols earned an at-large berth into the 2026 field, securing a top eight seed in all three NCAA Championship boats for the third consecutive season, the NCAA announced on Tuesday evening.
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The 20226 NCAA Championships will take place in Gainesville, Georgia at Lake Lanier Olympic Park May 29-31. This year's championship event will be hosted by the University of North Georgia and the City of Gainesville.
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After another phenomenal season on the water under head coach Kim Cupini, Tennessee earned top eight seeds in all three boats. The 1V8 earned the number one overall seed in its classification, with the 2V8 earning the eight seed and the 1V4 the five seed.
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This marks the 12th NCAA Championship appearance all-time for the program and eighth team appearance, with four of the appearances being at-large boats. This is the fourth appearance in the last six years for the program after not qualifying for the event from 2011-19.
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The team championship will be comprised of 22 teams. Ten conferences earned automatic qualifiers into the championships, while 12 teams filled the championship field as at-large selections. Each program in the team championships will field a first and second varsity eight boat, as well as its varsity four. For the I Eight, II Eights, and Fours, all 22 teams will have their boats seeded into four heats.
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Tennessee enters the championships ranked number one in the CRCA poll. This marks the first time in program history that the program has sat atop the poll, coming after its SEC title. UT's team championship at SECs was its first conference title since 2012, when the program was a member of the Conference USA.
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The first varsity eight has won all of its races since the Rocky Top Invite and holds a record this season of 18-1. It earned the gold medal that this month's SEC Championships in Oak Ridge, handing the 1V8 crew from Texas its first loss of the season. Tennessee's 2V8 crew has logged a record of 13-5 this year, and took the silver medal at SECs. The 1V4 is coming off a silver medal at the SEC Championships as well, entering the NCAA Championships with a 16-2 record.
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UT has earned consecutive top five finishes at NCAAs, earning its highest finish in program history during the 2024 event by placing third. At last year's championships the Big Orange placed fifth, solidifying the most successful two-year stretch in school history.
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Automatic Qualifiers:
At-Large Selections:
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The 20226 NCAA Championships will take place in Gainesville, Georgia at Lake Lanier Olympic Park May 29-31. This year's championship event will be hosted by the University of North Georgia and the City of Gainesville.
Â
After another phenomenal season on the water under head coach Kim Cupini, Tennessee earned top eight seeds in all three boats. The 1V8 earned the number one overall seed in its classification, with the 2V8 earning the eight seed and the 1V4 the five seed.
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This marks the 12th NCAA Championship appearance all-time for the program and eighth team appearance, with four of the appearances being at-large boats. This is the fourth appearance in the last six years for the program after not qualifying for the event from 2011-19.
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The team championship will be comprised of 22 teams. Ten conferences earned automatic qualifiers into the championships, while 12 teams filled the championship field as at-large selections. Each program in the team championships will field a first and second varsity eight boat, as well as its varsity four. For the I Eight, II Eights, and Fours, all 22 teams will have their boats seeded into four heats.
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Tennessee enters the championships ranked number one in the CRCA poll. This marks the first time in program history that the program has sat atop the poll, coming after its SEC title. UT's team championship at SECs was its first conference title since 2012, when the program was a member of the Conference USA.
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The first varsity eight has won all of its races since the Rocky Top Invite and holds a record this season of 18-1. It earned the gold medal that this month's SEC Championships in Oak Ridge, handing the 1V8 crew from Texas its first loss of the season. Tennessee's 2V8 crew has logged a record of 13-5 this year, and took the silver medal at SECs. The 1V4 is coming off a silver medal at the SEC Championships as well, entering the NCAA Championships with a 16-2 record.
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UT has earned consecutive top five finishes at NCAAs, earning its highest finish in program history during the 2024 event by placing third. At last year's championships the Big Orange placed fifth, solidifying the most successful two-year stretch in school history.
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Automatic Qualifiers:
- Rhode Island (Atlantic 10)
- Stanford (ACC)
- UCF (Big 12)
- Washington (Big Ten)
- Northeastern (CAA)
- Princeton (Ivy League)
- Jacksonville (MAAC)
- UMass (MAC)
- Boston University (Patriot League)
- Oregon State (WCC)
At-Large Selections:
- Brown
- California
- Columbia
- Miami (FL)
- Michigan
- Ohio State
- Rutgers
- Syracuse
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- Yale
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