The Washington women’s rowing team won its second straight Big Ten Conference championship on May 17, taking six of seven grand finals in Indianapolis. The Huskies, now in their second year as members of the conference, finished first in the first, second, and fourth varsity eights finals as well as the first, second, and third varsity fours. They placed second in the third varsity eight.
Washington scored 350 points to secure the overall title. Rutgers was runner-up with 322 points and Ohio State finished third with 262. The results highlight Washington’s continued dominance since joining the Big Ten Conference.
Head coach Yasmin Farooq said, “We didn’t come here to defend a championship — we came here to make every one of our boats go as fast as possible, recognizing there would be strong competition to help drive us. Winning six of seven events and earning a second-place finish in the seventh reflects the depth and competitiveness of this team. I’m beyond proud of all seven performances.” Farooq has now led Washington to six conference titles.
Senior Jordan Freer reflected on her experience: “It was an incredible day to be a Washington rower and to get to watch our teammates succeed and push the level of racing across all categories today… I am so grateful for this team and the privilege it has been to race four conference championships with Washington… Nothing we have achieved this season would have been possible without the work of absolutely every member of this team for every moment of the year.” Varsity eight rower Jess Weir added: “We did exactly what we wanted to do today… The boat atmosphere was electric and all of us had a blast coming down the course. The next step is NCAA’s and this weekend helped prepare us for some competitive racing.”
With their win at Big Tens, Washington secured an automatic berth at NCAA Championships for a record 29th consecutive year. This year’s national regatta will take place May 29-31 at Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia.
The conference also announced All-Big Ten honors: Izzy Michaelson (coxswain), Aisha Rocek, and Violet Holbrow Brooksbank made first-team; Mira Calder, Zola Kemp, and Jess Weir were named to second-team; Margaret Young received UW’s Sportsmanship Award.
