Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Chasing Liquid Gold: No. 7 Rutgers Rowing Heads to Nationals this Weekend in Search of a Championship

You likely haven't heard about the 2025 No. 7 Rutgers Women's rowing team, but that may change this weekend, when Rutgers competes at nearby Lake Mercer in the national championships, looking to build upon their historic second-place finish and six silver medals at the Big Ten Championships
John Catapano|
The Rutgers Rowing team heads to nationals for the sixth consecutive season. The championships will be held May 30th - June 1st, 2025, on Lake Mercer in West Windsor, NJ.
The Rutgers Rowing team heads to nationals for the sixth consecutive season. The championships will be held May 30th - June 1st, 2025, on Lake Mercer in West Windsor, NJ. | Rutgers Athletics

In this story:

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

On May 18th, No. 7 Rutgers won six silver medals and one bronze at the Big Ten Women's Rowing Championships at Eagle Creek in Indianapolis, finishing a school-best second place, far outpacing third-place Michigan. The Varsity 8, 2nd Varsity 8, Varsity 4, 2nd Varsity 4, 3rd Varsity 4, and 3rd Varsity 8 all won silver medals, racking up 239 points, second only to No. 2 Washington's 264. The 4th Varsity 8 took home a bronze.

The Scarlet Knights received a slew of postseason accolades, with head coach Justin Price named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Beatrice Colclough won the conference Freshman of the Year award, joining Femke de Witt on the Big Ten All-Freshmen Team.

This weekend, Rutgers sends three boats to the nearby waters of Lake Mercer in West Windsor to take on the nation's best boats at the NCAA Rowing Championships, looking to take home gold.

The competition begins on Friday morning, May 30th, with boats competing in three heats - the first Varsity Eight, the Second Varsity Eight, and the Varsity Four. The top three boats move on to Saturday's A/B finals, with the remainder competing in the C/D finals. Friday's heat schedules are listed below.

Heat schedule for Friday, May 30th at the NCAA Rowing Championships.
Heat Schedule for Friday, May 30th at the NCAA Rowing Championships. | Rutgers Athletics

This will be the sixth consecutive season the Scarlet Knights have earned an invite to the national regatta, joining sixteen other schools. Rutgers finished 14th overall in 2024. The highest finish in program history was seventh in 2021.

With Rutgers the only local team competing on Lake Mercer this weekend, they have as close to a home-river advantage as fans could hope.

Recommended Articles

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Conference Opener Moved, Other Kickoff Times Announced

Ranking Best Fits for Rutgers Star Ace Bailey in Top 5 of the NBA Draft

Rutgers Scarlet Knights New DE Named to Prestigious Award Watch List

Rutgers Star Ace Bailey Receives High Praise from NBA Hall-of-Famer

Published | Modified
John Catapano
JOHN CATAPANO

John Catapano graduated from Rutgers in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, covering the women’s field hockey and soccer teams for the campus paper, The Daily Targum. After college, he moved to Los Angeles, got a job at Walt Disney Television, and has worked in media ever since. John currently works with the Wasserman Media Group in their Brooklyn, NY office, collaborating with brands, influencers, and athletes across the globe. When the pandemic struck in 2020 and Catapano began working remotely, he resumed writing by contributing to a Rutgers fan blog. He covered various sports, highlighted human interest stories, and focused on topics that Scarlet Nation wanted to discuss. It’s never easy being a Rutgers fan, but with over 500,000 alumni living worldwide and a passionate fanbase, covering the Scarlet Knights is always engaging.