2021 NCAA Rowing Championship field announced

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

No. 3 Virginia is one of 22 schools that will compete at the 2021 NCAA Rowing Championships, announced Tuesday. The national regatta will be held May 28-30 at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla., with University of Central Florida and Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Association, serving as hosts.

UVA earned the Atlantic Coast Conference’s automatic bid after claiming its 11th consecutive league championship on May 15. The Cavaliers swept all five events at the ACC Championship, including the Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight, Third Varsity Eight, Varsity Four and Second Varsity Four.

UVA’s Varsity Eight of coxswain Colette Glass (Tampa, Fla.), Sonja Schlosser (Deggendorf, Germany), Abbie Bird (Ascot, England), Leia Till (Potomac, Md.)

Sophia Kershner (Palmyra, Va.), Katy Flynn (Churchville, N.Y.), Cate Porter (Hopewell, N.J.), Alli Terblanche (Johannesburg, South Africa) and Kate Kelly (Vashon Island, Wash.) was named ACC Crew of the Year.

Virginia’s Kevin Sauer was named ACC Coach of the Year, while Grace Comerford (Wyndmoor, Pa.), Glass, Kershner and Flynn were named to the All-ACC Rowing first team. Tessa Otting (Evanston, Ill.) was a second-team selection.

In addition to Virginia, SMU (American), Gonzaga (West Coast), Marist (MAAC), Michigan (Big Ten), Navy (Patriot), Northeastern (Colonial), Rhode Island (A-10), Texas (Big 12) and Washington (Pac-12) all earned its conferences’ automatic spots.

The 12 schools that earned at-large selections were Alabama, Brown, California, Duke, Ohio State, Princeton, Rutgers, Stanford, Syracuse, Tennessee, Washington State and Wisconsin.

The Cavaliers are seeded No. 4 in the Varsity Eight, No. 3 in the Second Varsity Eight and No. 4 in the Varsity Four.

Virginia placed 10th at the 2019 NCAA Rowing Championships with 77 points. UVA’s Second Varsity Eight placed sixth, while the Varsity Eight placed 12th and the Varsity Four placed 13th. The 2020 NCAA Rowing Championships were canceled due to the pandemic.

In their 22 NCAA Championship appearances in the last 24 years, the Cavaliers have finished in the top four 11 times (1997-2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009-10, 2012, 2016) and have been runners-up three times (1999, 2005, 2007).

UVA captured NCAA team championships in 2010 and 2012. The Varsity Eight boat won the NCAA title in 2012, while the Second Varsity Eight won championships in 1998, 1999 and 2005. The Varsity Four claimed national championships in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2015.