Previewing Syracuse Women’s Rowing at the ACC Championship

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No. 10 Syracuse women’s rowing travels to Lake Wheeler in Raleigh, North Carolina, for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship. The Orange competed at the Lake Wheeler Invitational three weeks ago, finishing second in the event. They return May 12, this time with much larger stakes.

Here’s everything to know ahead of the ACC Championship from May 12-13:

The Championship’s History

Virginia has dominated the ACC Championship, winning 12 straight titles in conference history. It has won 21 of the 22 titles in conference history.

The Cavaliers dominated last year’s championship. They won four of the five grand finals. The only final they didn’t win was the second varsity 4, which Duke won.

In 2022, UVA head coach Kevin Sauer won ACC Coach of the year, while the varsity 8 earned ACC Crew of the year. The 8 included Vivi Van Igen, Kate Kelly, Leia Till, Lauren Benedict, Sonja Schlosser, Nicola Lawless, Alli Terblanche, Kelsey Gems and Eva Fronhoffer. Van Igen, Kelly, Till, Benedict and Gems all returned in 2023.

Syracuse’s Championship Experience

In 2022, Syracuse entered the championship as the No. 1 seed in the varsity 8, second varsity 8 and second varsity 4. It was the first time in program history the Orange earned a top seed.

Despite the high seed, Syracuse underperformed. At the regatta, Syracuse’s varsity 8 and second varsity 8 both finished less than two seconds behind Virginia’s boats. The varsity 4 finished in third and the third varsity 8 finished in fourth. The Orange finished second with 83 points. The Cavaliers won with 98.

Since joining the ACC in the 2013-14 season, Syracuse has finished in the top three in the tournament every year, but has never taken first.

Top Competitors

In order to claim the first ACC Championship in program history, Syracuse faces a challenge. The main competitors will be No. 9 Virginia and No. 14 Duke, teams that have consistently beat the Orange in the postseason over the years.

Virginia had a challenging schedule in 2023, facing teams like Texas, Michigan and Ohio State.

Duke had a strong season, including a big victory over the Orange at Lake Wheeler, taking home the Pocock Cup. The Blue Devils went undefeated in the qualifying rounds before earning enough points in the final round to win the event.

Syracuse’s varsity 8 beat Duke, but every other boat finished behind the Blue Devils in the final round.

Other than Virginia and Duke, Notre Dame will be another contender. The Irish aren’t ranked, but have received points for the National Poll multiple times.

Syracuse’s Season So Far

Syracuse has had a successful season, putting itself in position to succeed at the ACC Championship. In the first competition of the season, the Ivy-Big Ten Double Dual, the Orange went undefeated, defeating three ranked teams, Radcliffe, Iowa and Rutgers. The following week, Syracuse won the Doc Hosea Invitational and Orange Cups. After two dominant performances, Syracuse faced No. 3 Yale at Saratoga Springs but lost every race.

Syracuse then raced in the Lake Wheeler Invitational where it fell two points behind ACC rival Duke for the Pocock Cup. To round out the regular season, Syracuse won one gold medal and four silver medals at the Eastern Sprints. It faced four ranked teams: No. 5 Brown, No. 15 Radcliffe, No. 18 Rutgers and No. 20 Columbia.

The Orange have been ranked in the top 10 in all six Pocock/CRCA polls this season, earning three ACC Crew of the Week honors.

How Syracuse Wins

Syracuse will win its first ACC Championship in program history with consistency. Multiple crews have shown the ability to succeed against tough competition, but the crews have been their best at different times.

The Orange’s V8, 2V8, and 2V4 have all won an ACC Crew of the Week honor at different times this season. If all three crews perform at their best, Syracuse could finally win the ACC.

“The team is in a really good spot as far as energy and mindset,” said head coach Luke McGee in a recent press release .“Every point is going to matter at the conference championship.”