Delaware Accepts Invitation for Rowing to Join the MAC

NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware has accepted an invitation for rowing to join the Mid-American Conference (MAC) effective July 1, 2025, the organizations announced jointly Friday. The MAC will begin the 2025-26 academic year with six programs competing in women's rowing as Eastern Michigan, Toledo and UMass will be joined by new affiliate members Delaware, High Point and Temple.

"I'm incredibly excited for our rowing program to be joining the MAC," Director of Athletics, Community, and Campus Recreation Chrissi Rawak said. "Being a part of the inaugural cohort for MAC rowing is exciting and will allow our student-athletes to compete against great competition. I want to thank Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher and the Athletic Directors for the opportunity."

Delaware entered a new era in the 2024 season - head coach Asiya Mahmud's first season at the helm. During the CAA Championships, the Blue Hens qualified all three boats for the grand final. Throughout the season, Delaware earned conference Boat of the Week honors in the Varsity 8 twice. UD also earned two podium finishes at the Knecht Cup and saw its novice finish in third place at the Dad Vail Regatta.

"We are excited to join the MAC," Mahmud said. "The decision to sponsor women's rowing in the MAC is one that shows support for not only Delaware athletics, but also the sport of women's rowing. We are thrilled to forge forward in the MAC with other universities and rowing programs that share aspirations of bringing both regional and national relevance to the conference as well as a high level of competition."

In 2023, Delaware improved to third at the Coastal Athletic Association Conference Championships, where Julia Rothstein and Cornella Meiss were named to the All-CAA team. Delaware's varsity eight, second varsity eight, and third varsity eight boats all earned bronze medals in their events, and Delaware's third place finish was their third top-three finish in the last five championships.

Delaware has also had success off the river in recent years as well. After a program-record 12 members earned CRCA Scholar-Athlete honors in 2021, Delaware earned 11 in 2022 and 10 in 2023. Rowing is also one of the premiere academic programs at Delaware, most recently earning team GPAs of 3.52 in Fall 2022 and 3.45 in Spring 2023. The Blue Hens have also earned 340 CAA Commissioner Honor Roll selections since 2020.

Throughout their history, Delaware has four CAA Conference Champions (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006), and has finished in the top three on six other occasions. Delaware will remain in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) through the 2024-25 school year and will be eligible for both a league title and NCAA postseason competition.

"The member institutions of the Mid-American Conference take great pride in offering a broad array of sports offerings for our students," said MAC Commissioner, Dr. Jon A. Steinbrecher. "Women's rowing is a great addition to our sports sponsorship line-up. This is a sport that continues to grow in popularity and I am already looking forward to awarding our first championship in May 2026.

The Mid-American Conference office is based in Cleveland, Ohio as the Conference office serves 12 full-time members and offers championships in 22 sports.

Founded in 1946, the Mid-American Conference is an NCAA Division I, 12-member conference that sponsors 22 championships and is one of ten members of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). With a total enrollment of nearly 300,000 students, the league represents institutions of higher learning in five (5) states - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and Ohio.

The University of Delaware's academic programs are among the nation's best and its research classification places the University in the top 3% of all U.S. universities and colleges. Announced in September, UD ranks No. 76 among national universities and No. 36 nationally among public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2024 Best Colleges rankings. In addition, the 2024 edition of Best Graduate Schools, U.S. News and World Report has ranked 22 University of Delaware graduate programs among the best in the nation including 10 in the top 50. UD Is also a top-50 university in the U.S. for veterans and active-duty military.

UD's outstanding academic reputation also translates to UD Athletics and UD student-athletes who complement their athletic success with strong academic performances. In the 2022-23 academic year, Blue Hens compiled a cumulative 3.286 grade-point average—the highest in department history, excluding academic terms impacted by COVID-19. This marked the ninth-consecutive year and the 19th-straight semester in which UD student-athletes have posted a 3.00 GPA or better.

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Delaware Accepts Invitation for Rowing to Join the MAC

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