The Tennessee Lady Volunteers secured their first Southeastern Conference rowing title on May 10, defeating Texas in a close finish at the SEC Rowing Championship in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The victory marks the team’s first conference championship since 2012, when they were part of Conference USA.
The event’s significance lies in Tennessee’s ability to overcome top-ranked Texas, which had been undefeated in the varsity eight event this season. The Lady Vols edged out Texas by a score of 79-75 to claim the overall team crown after a series of competitive races.
“Phenomenal to see that from the team,” said head coach Kim Cupini. “Texas coming in was the number one team in the country and had that undefeated eight. So to see the varsity eight clinch like that was awesome. I have to take my hat off to the full team to get enough points to win the SEC Championship and bring that championship home, especially here at home in Tennessee. So, I was super impressed and super proud of them.”
The decisive moment came during the final race as Tennessee’s first varsity eight boat held off a late charge from Texas with a time of 6:06.939, handing Texas its first loss of the season and continuing an unbeaten streak for Tennessee’s crew since earlier this year. In addition to their win in the premier event, Tennessee also took victories in third varsity eight (3V8), third varsity four (3V4), and second varsity four (2V4) races.
Cupini praised her athletes’ resilience throughout different events: “I think the boats on the water saw that,” Cupini said. “I think to be able to race from ahead and pull off the win, but also to be able to race from behind in the event and win is incredible… To get enough points to win the team [championship] and beat a team like Texas when they’re number one in the country was awesome.” While Texas won both second varsity eight (2V8) and first varsity four (1V4) races, it was not enough for them overall.
Looking ahead, Tennessee will compete at Lake Lanier Olympic Park during NCAA Championships from May 29-31 as they await their seeding announcement later this month.
