Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Wins the Tight Battles, Clinches Three Big Ten Grand Finals
5/15/2026 9:23:00 PM | Women's Rowing
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Three Indiana rowing crews won close finishes Friday (May 15) night to advance to Sunday's grand finals at the 2026 Big Ten Rowing Championships at the Indianapolis Rowing Center on the Eagle Creek Reservoir.
IU's Varsity Eight, Varsity Four and Third Varsity Eight boats all showed grit and great speed in the final 500-meters to earn third-place finishes, placing just within the top three cut to advance to the top-tier finals. Indiana's 2V8, 2V4 and 4V8 will look to place high in their petite finals Sunday.
Friday's racing was originally scheduled for Saturday morning, but impending weather forced officials to run the session earlier than planned. So, teams will wait out the weather through Saturday and returned to action Sunday. Sunday's 9:02 a.m. ET start remains unchanged.
The closest battle came in the Varsity Four race, as Indiana beat Iowa to the big red buoys by 17 hundredths. Trailing only Washington (7:45.642) and Ohio State (7:52.599) – two ranked programs – the Hoosiers got their bowball over in 8:00.271, just ahead of Iowa's 8:00.445.
Indiana trailed Minnesota at the halfway mark of the V8 race by 1.4 seconds but rallied in the back half to capture the final qualifying place by about the same margin. Rutgers (6:50.579) and Ohio State (6:55.935) took the two leading spots, but the Hoosiers were not far behind with a time of 6:58.023, as Sunday promises an exciting final race. IU finished with a three-seat advantage over the Golden Gophers, who timed a 6:59.339.
Indiana and Iowa battled it out again in the 3V8 race, as Indiana erased a 1.1-second deficit at the 1,000-meter mark to outpace the Hawkeyes by 2.9. The Hoosiers earned the third place finish with a time of 7:59.891, as Iowa just kept in touch with a time of 8:02.868.
RESULTS
LINEUPS
V8: Rebecca Baker (coxswain), Laura McCabe (stroke), Lilly Murphy, Maddison Shanks, Nico Daly, Paris Miller, Elena Knecht, Ella Barr, Grace Langridge (bow)
2V8: Olivia Mencias (coxswain), Caroline Schrieber, Grace Newton, Bridgette Sutton, Lily Curnow, Alison Nieder, Natiela Vatamaniuc, Charlotte Rozzi, Frances McCorkle (bow)
V4: Lucy Tait (stroke), Estelle Verner, Kristina Noje, Olivia Luban, Evelyn Tabor (coxswain)
2V4: Averi Weninger (stroke), Ava Harwood, Chelsie Lindauer, Abby Willham, Hannah Thomas (coxswain)
3V8: Sarah Black (coxswain), Bella Wahl (stroke), Izzy Marcotte, Ellie Mason, Paityn Thomas, Lily Smith, Lauren Baker, Emma Gregg, Lacy Hancock (bow)
4V8: Libby McMahon (coxswain), Lucia Noecker, Lara Summerfield, Krista Valle-Morales, Elly Ware, Madi Russ, Addy Myers, Lainy White, Sophia Carpenter
UP NEXT
The 2026 Big Ten Championships will continue Sunday with finals in each event. Racing will start at approximately 9:02 a.m. ET. Fans can watch the final day on the Big Ten Network.
Follow Indiana Rowing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
#NeverDaunted
IU's Varsity Eight, Varsity Four and Third Varsity Eight boats all showed grit and great speed in the final 500-meters to earn third-place finishes, placing just within the top three cut to advance to the top-tier finals. Indiana's 2V8, 2V4 and 4V8 will look to place high in their petite finals Sunday.
Friday's racing was originally scheduled for Saturday morning, but impending weather forced officials to run the session earlier than planned. So, teams will wait out the weather through Saturday and returned to action Sunday. Sunday's 9:02 a.m. ET start remains unchanged.
The closest battle came in the Varsity Four race, as Indiana beat Iowa to the big red buoys by 17 hundredths. Trailing only Washington (7:45.642) and Ohio State (7:52.599) – two ranked programs – the Hoosiers got their bowball over in 8:00.271, just ahead of Iowa's 8:00.445.
Indiana trailed Minnesota at the halfway mark of the V8 race by 1.4 seconds but rallied in the back half to capture the final qualifying place by about the same margin. Rutgers (6:50.579) and Ohio State (6:55.935) took the two leading spots, but the Hoosiers were not far behind with a time of 6:58.023, as Sunday promises an exciting final race. IU finished with a three-seat advantage over the Golden Gophers, who timed a 6:59.339.
Indiana and Iowa battled it out again in the 3V8 race, as Indiana erased a 1.1-second deficit at the 1,000-meter mark to outpace the Hawkeyes by 2.9. The Hoosiers earned the third place finish with a time of 7:59.891, as Iowa just kept in touch with a time of 8:02.868.
RESULTS
| V8 1. Rutgers - 6:50.579 2. Ohio State - 6:55.935 3. Indiana - 6:58.023 4. Minnesota - 6:59.339 5. Iowa - 7:20.089 6. Wisconsin - 7:36.733 |
| 2V8 1. Washington - 7:06.514 2. Ohio State - 7:20.504 3. Iowa - 7:24.079 4. Minnesota - 7:27.766 5. Indiana - 7:33.650 |
| V4 1. Washington - 7:45.642 2. Ohio State - 7:52.599 3. Indiana - 8:00.271 4. Iowa - 8:00.445 5. Minnesota - 8:08.340 |
| 2V4 1. Washington - 7:43.553 2. UCLA - 8:01.473 3. Minnesota - 8:07.491 4. Wisconsin - 8:08.963 5. Indiana - 8:24.586 |
| 3V8 1. Rutgers - 7:37.944 2. Michigan - 7:39.360 3. Indiana - 7:59.891 4. Iowa - 8:02.868 5. Michigan State - 8:50.801 |
| 4V8 1. Washington - 7:26.761 2. Michigan - 7:43.948 3. Ohio State - 7:46.925 4. Indiana - 8:17.973 5. Wisconsin - 8:27.133 |
LINEUPS
V8: Rebecca Baker (coxswain), Laura McCabe (stroke), Lilly Murphy, Maddison Shanks, Nico Daly, Paris Miller, Elena Knecht, Ella Barr, Grace Langridge (bow)
2V8: Olivia Mencias (coxswain), Caroline Schrieber, Grace Newton, Bridgette Sutton, Lily Curnow, Alison Nieder, Natiela Vatamaniuc, Charlotte Rozzi, Frances McCorkle (bow)
V4: Lucy Tait (stroke), Estelle Verner, Kristina Noje, Olivia Luban, Evelyn Tabor (coxswain)
2V4: Averi Weninger (stroke), Ava Harwood, Chelsie Lindauer, Abby Willham, Hannah Thomas (coxswain)
3V8: Sarah Black (coxswain), Bella Wahl (stroke), Izzy Marcotte, Ellie Mason, Paityn Thomas, Lily Smith, Lauren Baker, Emma Gregg, Lacy Hancock (bow)
4V8: Libby McMahon (coxswain), Lucia Noecker, Lara Summerfield, Krista Valle-Morales, Elly Ware, Madi Russ, Addy Myers, Lainy White, Sophia Carpenter
UP NEXT
The 2026 Big Ten Championships will continue Sunday with finals in each event. Racing will start at approximately 9:02 a.m. ET. Fans can watch the final day on the Big Ten Network.
Follow Indiana Rowing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
#NeverDaunted
Players Mentioned
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