University of Delaware Athletics
Photo by: University of Delaware
Season Preview: 2025 Spring Rowing
3/5/2025 3:50:00 PM | Rowing
NEWARK, Del. – With a competitive roster of seasoned returners, impactful transfers, and dynamic newcomers, University of Delaware Rowing takes to the water for the 2025 Spring racing season. The schedule starts with three match-style races on the Schuylkill River against Saint Joseph's, La Salle, and Temple. The Hens then travel to Michigan for the Ford Lake Invitational before reaching the pinnacle of their season at the CAA Conference Championships in New Jersey.
The Blue & Gold kicks off their 2025 season with the 20th annual season opener versus Saint Joseph's on Saturday, March 8. Year after year, the match races on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pa., promise to be a competitive and energetic start to the season for the Blue Hens. Coming off a strong winter training block, these duels against SJU will be a challenging test of early-season speed for the Hens when they line up on the Schuylkill.
"I'm excited to race against St. Joe's," junior Grace Visser said. "It's one of my favorite races of the season because they're always really fierce competitors. This past winter, I think our team leveled up in every possible way, so I'm looking forward to seeing that play out on the water. I want every boat to come home with a win."
The Blue Hens return to the Schuylkill River for more match races versus La Salle on Saturday, March 29. The Hens and the Explorers traded blows in shorter 1000-meter pieces during last year's mid-season scrimmage, which was held on the Christina River. This year's 2000-meter duals are an addition to the schedule and arrive at a critical point of the season with Delaware coming off their week-long spring break training.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how we show up as a team with depth," freshman Abigail Buss said in anticipation of the second race. "I think all our boats have the potential to do well, especially after we spend a week of spring break doing nothing but rowing together and building our connection as a team. I have no doubt, we will see great speed on the water."
Delaware is back on the Schuylkill River for a third round of match racing versus Temple on Saturday, April 5. Though a familiar local rival, this year's matchup between Temple and Delaware will have an extra level to it as both teams are set to join the newly-formed Mid-American Conference for the 2025-2026 season. April 5 also marks Delaware's Senior Day and Alumni Day. Ahead of racing, the team will celebrate its graduating athletes and honor the legacy of the program's 26 alumni classes. Family, alumni, friends, and fans are encouraged to attend the pre-race ceremony, which will be held on the Schuylkill River Banks.
"I'm super excited to have our Blue Hen alumni with us on race day," sophomore Sophie Murray said. "The alumni remind us where our program came from and connect us to our legacy. On top of that, celebrating the senior class with their incredible guidance and contributions to the team is something that I'm really looking forward to. Our alumni and seniors are examples of building long-lasting, impactful relationships."
The Hens then travel west for the Ford Lake Cup, hosted by CAA-foe and future-MAC opponent Eastern Michigan. Racing will take place on the newly-constructed eight-lane EMU Rowing Course at Ford Lake in Ypsilanti, Mich. This inaugural invitational will include other future MAC programs: Temple, UMass, and High Point, as well as competitors from the Big 12 Conference, Patriot League, and Atlantic 10 Conference.
"I'm really excited to go back to a familiar place, this time with my teammates," junior Ava Tine said. She trained in Ypsilanti this summer after being selected to compete at the World University Games "This competition will be a really cool opportunity to see what we will bring to the new MAC Conference next year. We've been working really hard at practice, and I think continuing to do what we've been focused on internally as a team will help us stack up well against the competition."
The 2025 CAA Conference Championship will be Delaware's final bow as a member of the CAA Conference. With historically strong programs and younger teams on the rise, racing will include two days of seeded heats and finals, concluding with the crowning of the team points trophy, conference title, and NCAA Championship Automatic Qualifier.
"Our competitors in the CAA always bring their best, and for us it's no different." senior and team captain Delaney Denegar said. "As a senior, this is my last CAAs. It's also our last CAAs as a program, so I want everyone to compete hard and go really fast. I want to win, and I want medals for everyone. We're optimistic and have a strong belief in ourselves and our potential. This past winter, we trained so hard, getting faster and stronger individually. Now that we're out in boats, we are getting faster as a team every day, and I think this will be our strongest season yet."
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Delaware rowing, follow the Blue Hens on X, Instagram, and like on Facebook.
The Blue & Gold kicks off their 2025 season with the 20th annual season opener versus Saint Joseph's on Saturday, March 8. Year after year, the match races on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pa., promise to be a competitive and energetic start to the season for the Blue Hens. Coming off a strong winter training block, these duels against SJU will be a challenging test of early-season speed for the Hens when they line up on the Schuylkill.
"I'm excited to race against St. Joe's," junior Grace Visser said. "It's one of my favorite races of the season because they're always really fierce competitors. This past winter, I think our team leveled up in every possible way, so I'm looking forward to seeing that play out on the water. I want every boat to come home with a win."
The Blue Hens return to the Schuylkill River for more match races versus La Salle on Saturday, March 29. The Hens and the Explorers traded blows in shorter 1000-meter pieces during last year's mid-season scrimmage, which was held on the Christina River. This year's 2000-meter duals are an addition to the schedule and arrive at a critical point of the season with Delaware coming off their week-long spring break training.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how we show up as a team with depth," freshman Abigail Buss said in anticipation of the second race. "I think all our boats have the potential to do well, especially after we spend a week of spring break doing nothing but rowing together and building our connection as a team. I have no doubt, we will see great speed on the water."
Delaware is back on the Schuylkill River for a third round of match racing versus Temple on Saturday, April 5. Though a familiar local rival, this year's matchup between Temple and Delaware will have an extra level to it as both teams are set to join the newly-formed Mid-American Conference for the 2025-2026 season. April 5 also marks Delaware's Senior Day and Alumni Day. Ahead of racing, the team will celebrate its graduating athletes and honor the legacy of the program's 26 alumni classes. Family, alumni, friends, and fans are encouraged to attend the pre-race ceremony, which will be held on the Schuylkill River Banks.
"I'm super excited to have our Blue Hen alumni with us on race day," sophomore Sophie Murray said. "The alumni remind us where our program came from and connect us to our legacy. On top of that, celebrating the senior class with their incredible guidance and contributions to the team is something that I'm really looking forward to. Our alumni and seniors are examples of building long-lasting, impactful relationships."
The Hens then travel west for the Ford Lake Cup, hosted by CAA-foe and future-MAC opponent Eastern Michigan. Racing will take place on the newly-constructed eight-lane EMU Rowing Course at Ford Lake in Ypsilanti, Mich. This inaugural invitational will include other future MAC programs: Temple, UMass, and High Point, as well as competitors from the Big 12 Conference, Patriot League, and Atlantic 10 Conference.
"I'm really excited to go back to a familiar place, this time with my teammates," junior Ava Tine said. She trained in Ypsilanti this summer after being selected to compete at the World University Games "This competition will be a really cool opportunity to see what we will bring to the new MAC Conference next year. We've been working really hard at practice, and I think continuing to do what we've been focused on internally as a team will help us stack up well against the competition."
The 2025 CAA Conference Championship will be Delaware's final bow as a member of the CAA Conference. With historically strong programs and younger teams on the rise, racing will include two days of seeded heats and finals, concluding with the crowning of the team points trophy, conference title, and NCAA Championship Automatic Qualifier.
"Our competitors in the CAA always bring their best, and for us it's no different." senior and team captain Delaney Denegar said. "As a senior, this is my last CAAs. It's also our last CAAs as a program, so I want everyone to compete hard and go really fast. I want to win, and I want medals for everyone. We're optimistic and have a strong belief in ourselves and our potential. This past winter, we trained so hard, getting faster and stronger individually. Now that we're out in boats, we are getting faster as a team every day, and I think this will be our strongest season yet."
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Delaware rowing, follow the Blue Hens on X, Instagram, and like on Facebook.
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