The Washington women’s rowing team claimed the bronze medal in the varsity fours and finished in a tie for sixth place overall at the 2026 NCAA Championships, which concluded May 31 at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia.
The Huskies tied with Princeton for sixth place with 100 points. Texas won the championship with 130 points, finishing five ahead of defending champion Stanford. Washington secured third place in the NCAA fours grand final and won the petite finals (places 7-12) in both the varsity eight and second varsity eight categories.
“I’m really proud of our team today,” said Yasmin Farooq, tenth-year head coach. “Our varsity four had an outstanding race and earned a strong third-place finish in a very competitive field.” Farooq added that this was “the fastest field in NCAA history” and emphasized that Washington’s goal is always to contend for podium positions.
In fast but choppy conditions at Lake Lanier—host site of rowing events during the 1996 Olympics—NCAA records were broken throughout the day. In the grand final of the varsity four, Texas overtook Stanford after a rower from Stanford caught a crab near the end of the race. This allowed Texas to win with Tennessee second; Washington finished third with a time of 6:47.654, about 1.3 seconds ahead of Rutgers.
Cami Martin, bow seat for UW’s four, said, “Racing this weekend and coming away with a bronze medal at NCAAs is an incredible honor… Representing UW at this championship has certainly been a goal of mine for the past four years.” Martin also described Washington as “a magical place,” highlighting her gratitude toward teammates and coaches.
Washington also won both petite finals: first defeating Michigan by seven seats to take top honors among second eights (time: 6:03.358), then holding off California by four seats to win among first eights (time: 5:56.227). The Huskies slightly outperformed their seeding expectations by tying for sixth overall instead of seventh.
Farooq said she was proud that all three boats showed resilience throughout what she called an intense season filled with new faces on roster. She noted ongoing changes nationally as programs like Texas, Stanford, and Tennessee increase resources—a trend raising standards across collegiate rowing.
