Races to Watch: May 17-19
USRowing Northwest and Northeast Youth Championships: The USRowing Youth Series concludes this weekend in Vancouver, WA and Lowell, MA as over 3,000 athletes compete for regional championships and qualification spots for the USRowing Youth National Championships in June. At the Northwest Youth Championship, twenty-nine clubs will contest 69 events while 57 clubs will compete in the Northeast Youth Championships. The Midwest Junior Rowing Championships, while not a part of the Youth Series, is also a qualifying event for Youth Nationals and runs May 18-19 in Bethel, OH. All USRowing Youth Series races will be live streamed, for free, on Overnght.
DI Women’s Conference Championships: This weekend, 10 DI women’s rowing conference championships will be held across the country, naming conference champions and automatic qualifiers for the upcoming NCAA National Championship. The championships are: Atlantic 10 Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 Conference, Big Ten Conference, Coastal Athletic Association, The Ivy League, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Pac-12 Conference, Patriot League, and West Coast Conference. One conference championship was held last week, with SMU taking home the AAC championship and a spot at NCAAs. The other 11 at-large teams will be named to the DI field next Tuesday, May 21, via the NCAA selection show.
Eastern Sprints: 16 of the best DI men’s collegiate programs will descend on Lake Quinsigamond this weekend to contest Eastern Sprints. This will be the biggest collection of top tier teams, with the exception of west coast schools, before the IRA National Championship later this month. 12 of the top-15 crews from the heavyweight men’s varsity eight in the IRCA/IRA Coaches Poll will be there along with nine of the top-10 ranked lightweight varsity eights. Live streaming will be available on Overnght with results here.
World Rowing Final Olympic & Paralympic Qualification Regatta: Eight American crews will get their final opportunity to earn a spot at the 2024 Olympic or Paralympic Games when they race at the Final Olympic & Paralympic Qualification Regatta, known colloquially as the “Regatta of Death.” The men’s single sculls, men’s double sculls, lightweight men’s double sculls, men’s quadruple sculls, women’s quadruple sculls, men’s eight, PR1 men’s single sculls, and PR2 mixed double sculls will compete from May 19-21 in Lucerne, Switzerland. Each crew needs a top-two finish in order to qualify for the Games, while only the first place PR1 men’s single will advance.
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