GAINESVILLE, Ga. – Due to expected inclement weather in North Georgia, the 2026 NCAA Rowing Championships will feature an altered schedule with no racing planned for Saturday.

 

The Western Washington University rowing team will now compete in a one-day championship on Lake Lanier Olympic Park, with racing scheduled to start with the Varsity 8+ in the first heat at 8:02 am ET/5:02 am PT (or Lake Samish time) and the Varsity 4+ to follow at 8:18 am ET/5:18 am PT.

 

The adjusted racing schedule for Division II features the heats and finals on Friday, with the repechages cancelled. The top two finishing crews from each heat will advance directly to the grand finals, with the third-place crew from each heat advancing to the petite final. Weather permitting the award ceremonies will follow the conclusion of Division I racing Friday evening.

 

The No. 1 nationally ranked and top-seed Vikings enter the championship regatta in seek of their 10th national title. All racing will feature a live webcast at NCAA.com. Updates to the race schedule will be posted on NCAA.com or ROW2K.com.

 

Here is a look at the schedule for the NCAA II Rowing Championships event schedule that will now be held in a one-day championship (pending a possible decision Friday afternoon) at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia. The top two finishing crews from each heat will advance directly to the grand finals. The third-place crew from each heat will advance to the petite final. The normal afternoon repechages have been cancelled and will not be rescheduled:

 

 

Here are some handy links on how to follow the Vikings at the NCAA Rowing Championships in Georgia:

 

• NCAA Division II Rowing
• Live Results
• Webcast via NCAA.com
• Program
• D2 Rowing History
• Row2k.com Coverage
• 2026 WWU Regatta Results

 

Here is a look at the lineups scheduled to race for the Vikings at the NCAA Championships:

 

 

Teams will be scored based on placing in the Varsity 4+ and Varsity 8+ race as follows. Ties for team awards will be broken by the place finish in the eights. The top scoring team will be awarded the 2026 NCAA Division II national championship trophy:

 

 

The NCAA Division II Rowing Championships features a six-team field with each program fielding a Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+ lineup. This year's field consists of three teams from the West Region:

 

 

WWU has advanced to the NCAA Division II Rowing Championships in 22 of the 24 years of the event (22 of 23 in full seasons) and 23 total times to the national rowing regatta (was a combined championship prior to 2002). The Vikings are nine-time national champions, winning seven consecutive titles from 2005-11 and again in 2017 and 2024. In 22 trips to the DII Rowing Championships, Western has taken home the gold (9 times) or silver (5 times) medal 14 times.

 

Here is a look at the national champion and runner-up from each of the 23 years that the NCAA Division II has crowned a national title dating back to 2002. WWU won seven consecutive national titles from 2005-11 and returned to the top of the podium in 2017 and 2024.

 

 

WWU Rowing is one of the elite collegiate rowing programs in the country across all divisions, having won nine NCAA Division II National Championships. The Vikings won the 2024 NCAA II National title, the 2017 title, placed 2nd in 2018, 3rd in 2019 and runner-up in 2022. WWU has competed in the NCAA Championships in 22 of the 24 NCAA Division II national regattas, taking home the gold (9 times), silver (5 times) and bronze (6) medal 20 times in the 23 years the NCAA Division II team title has been awarded, and reached the podium 20 times. Western won seven consecutive DII national championships from 2005-2011.

 

WWU Rowing Inside the Numbers:

22 – NCAA II Rowing Championship Appearances (out of 24)

16 – Individual Championships (Eights-7, Fours-9)

9 – National Championships (2005-11, 2017, 2024)

6 – 3rd Place Finishes at Nationals

5 – National Runner-Up Finishes

3 – GNAC Championships (in 6-year history of event)