ORLANDO – Beginning on Friday, the Big 12 era for UCF rowing will officially launch.
The Knights will race in four regattas before their inaugural Big 12 Conference Championship appearance at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida, on May 19. Three of the team’s regular-season regattas will take place in the state of Florida, at its home racecourse on Lake Pickett with two more at Nathan Benderson Park. UCF’s only out-of-state regatta will be the Lake Wheeler Invite in Raleigh, North Carolina. If the Knights earn a bid to the NCAA Championships, they will travel north to Bethel, Ohio from May 31-June 2.
Head coach Mara Allen said having most of the team’s regattas in its home state will play as an advantage for the team.
“Getting to race on our Big 12 racecourse multiple times before we get there is really helpful,” Allen said. “To have most of our races in literally our own backyard on Lake Pickett or at Nathan Benderson Park is huge.”
On March 15, UCF will begin its season on the water with a Senior Day regatta against the Jacksonville Dolphins and the UConn Huskies at the UCF Intercollegiate Rowing Center on Lake Pickett at 9:30 a.m. Last season, the Knights hosted the Dolphins and Huskies in their season opener on Lake Pickett.
Jacksonville is coming off its second-consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship and its seventh all-time. Last season, Jacksonville competed at the NCAA Championships at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, New Jersey. UConn comes into the season after a fifth-place finish last spring at the Colonial Athletic Association Championship.
“I’m really excited that JU and UConn are coming over to race,” Allen said. “JU had a great season last year and UConn has been clearly investing in their rowing program the last few years. I don’t know what to expect, but I am hopeful that we are going to put down six great races and it will be a learning experience regardless.”
Just weeks later, the Knights will make their way to the west side of the state for their seventh Sunshine State Invite appearance at Nathan Benderson Park. Racing will commence at 3:20 p.m. on March 29 and will end at 10:50 a.m. on March 30. UCF took home two medals last season, a first-place grand final finish by the II Eight and a second-place grand final finish by the I Four. Along with Jacksonville, the Knights will host Miami, Stetson, Michigan State, North Carolina, Iowa (Receiving Votes for the top 25), UMass, Louisville, Boston College and Drexel.
UCF will also get its chance to show off against current Big 12 competitors Kansas, Kansas State and West Virginia and 2025 conference affiliates Tulsa (RV) and Old Dominion.
“There’s incredible competition that we are going up against,” Allen said. “I love being able to race against six, seven or eight boats across because that is what Big 12s will feel like. This will give everyone in the boat their first chance to manage the distractions on the racecourse just like they would at conference championships.”
The Knights will return to Sarasota for the Big 10 Invite on April 19 and 20 for the second year in a row. UCF will be met with some heavy competition with every team at the regatta placing in the preseason Pocock Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association rankings. At UCF’s second Nathan Benderson Park competition, the team will face No. 6 Brown, No. 9 Michigan, No. 11 Syracuse, No. 12 Ohio State, No. 14 Rutgers, No. 16 Indiana, Notre Dame (RV) and Wisconsin (RV). The Knights will also compete against Big 12 opponents No. 17 Tennessee and Alabama (RV).
“Realizing there’s going to be a depth to this regatta that we can’t hide is huge,” Allen said. “We are going to see how fast we are against these really good teams. Going against these teams will give us a good sense of our speed and what we need to fix as we close in on conference.”
Rounding out the regular season just a week later, UCF will make its way up to Raleigh for the Lake Wheeler Invite on April 26 and 27. The Knights will make the trip for the fifth time to the No. 13 Duke and North Carolina-hosted regatta.
Teams joining UCF on Lake Wheeler consist of Washington State (RV), Iowa, Louisville, Miami, Boston, Boston College, Navy, Clemson Georgetown, Syracuse, Tulsa. Big 12 affiliates Alabama and Tennessee.
“Going back-to-back from Big 10 Invite to Lake Wheeler is going to be stressful but we need to go up against good teams if we are going to be good,” Allen said. “We can’t hide from talent and speed from the other teams. We need to be able to test ourselves to put us in the best position for Big 12s in May.”
The Allen-led Knights will wrap up the season with hopes of an NCAA Championship berth at the Big 12, a setting Allen is familiar with.
After winning five conference titles at Texas, Allen is in the driver's seat of her own program and is confident in UCF’s future in the Big 12.
“Our goal is to be on the medal stand at Big 12s,” Allen said. “I am confident in this team and how they will reach that goal as the season progresses.”