OAK RIDGE — Tennessee rowing is the SEC’s newest title holder.
The Lady Vols, led by head coach Kim Cupini, knocked off top-ranked Texas on Melton Hill Lake en route to their first championship trophy in program history in just the second-ever conference regatta. It’s Tennessee’s first conference championship since 2013 while a member of Conference USA.
Tennessee claimed four of the six races, including the first varsity eight, to clinch gold over No. 1 Texas.
“This group has been super determined,” Cupini said. “We have a great senior class leadership, and have been super determined to do some of the first-evers here at Tennessee, and they did that today. So I was so proud to see them and see how that came to fruition. So it was awesome.”
The first three races of the day all belonged to Tennessee. The third varsity four and third varsity eight boats won with ease, while the 3v8 took a nearly eight-second gap across the finish line for the largest margin of the day.
Texas looked compelled to steal its first of the morning when its second varsity four boat carried a three-second lead through the 1500-meter mark, and a little more. But with 250 meters left, the Lady Vols surged and pulled through to take the third-straight race. Tennessee finished in 7:12.677, almost two seconds in front of Texas’s 7:14.285.
“I think the boats on the water saw that, and to be able to race from ahead and pull off the win, but then also be able to race from behind in some of our events and win is incredible,” Cupini said. “So the second four, we were going crazy on that, and it was a group that just got together, actually, just the other day. They rode together a lot as a team, as a group, but just that lineup hasn’t been together. So to see them pull that off and get the win was incredible.”
That gave Tennessee a 16-12 lead at the midway point, but the heftiest point races were left. A win in the 2v4 in come-from-behind fashion provided a foundation for the high-leverage races to follow.
“We just kept believing, and then we saw them cross the line first, and we were like, ‘Wow, that was incredible,’” senior Alex Pidgeon said. “And just, it gave us a lot of confidence going into our race as well.”
Texas finally picked up its first win in the first varsity four race, clearing Tennessee’s boat by 7.5 seconds. The Longhorns rattled off a second-straight win with a 6:18.810 time in the second varsity four, earning enough points across the pair of wins to take the lead, 48-43.
One race remained with 36 points on the table.
A year ago, it came down to the first varsity eight race for the Lady Vols and Longhorns. The same circumstances were brought to the table.
But this time, it was Tennessee coming out on top. The Lady Vols led each split by 1.5 seconds, 1.9 seconds and 2.4 seconds before crossing the finish 1.5 seconds faster than Texas for the title.
“We were in that race, and (coxswain) Taryn (Graves) was telling us we had 400 to go, and we were still up, and I was like, maybe we can win this,” senior Meg Flanagan said. “But it’s never over till it’s over. And so we were going to that last 200 and I think all of us were like blacking out and we were still up, and it was the last 100, and we were still up, and we crossed the line, and we were still up. I knew we’d won. I stood up and screamed, and maybe it wasn’t the best thing to do, but I was so excited, because Taryn the whole time was yelling, like, four years, four years, we’ve been working so hard for this. And last year, we just lost it, and it was a revenge for this year. We needed that win, so I’m so proud of everyone.”
Texas’s 1v8 boat was undefeated this season, including a win over then-No. 1 Stanford on April 25, which moved them into the top spot ahead of the postseason. Tennessee handed the Longhorns their first loss in their top boat this season.
“Unreal,” Pidgeon said. “Literally unreal. I still haven’t fully processed what just happened.”
“To win it at home on a perfect day, we were doing it for everyone who raced before us,” Flanagan said. “… We know it’s setting up Tennessee for a great, successful run for the future, and I think this is only the start of our SEC run, and I know we’re leaving the program in good hands. I think this is the only way I’d want to go, and I’m so glad we could do it with this team. This team is so special, and that’s when it’s for everyone, no matter what the results of each individual boat — this team is an SEC Championship team.”
On home water, Tennessee added another win to its loaded spring slate. The Lady Vols raced against some of the nation’s best this season, including races against No. 1 Stanford, No. 3 Yale, No. 6 Princeton and No. 8 Virginia at the time.
Sunday’s win over Texas further cements the idea that the Lady Vols can compete with the top programs in the country. Now, they have a chance to be crowned the No. 1 team with the NCAA Championships around the corner.
“We know how much work has gone into the NCAAs, so we can’t just stop here at SECs,” Flanagan said. “We have to keep going, and I think that’s what the team’s gonna be focused on. We’re really gonna enjoy this one today, and celebrate with each other, and then get right back to work tomorrow, because that’s the sort of team this team is.”
Though the SEC does not get an automatic qualifier bid, entering the weekend as the No. 3 team and stealing a win over No. 1 solidifies Tennessee as an NCAA qualifier. The NCAA Rowing Championships begin May 29 in Gainesville, Georgia.
FULL LEADERBOARD
Third Varsity Four
1. Tennessee (7:16.747)
2. Texas (7:21.558)
3. Oklahoma (7:40.496)
4. Alabama (7:45.998)
Third Varsity Eight
1. Tennessee (6:29.409)
2. Texas (6:37:105)
3. Alabama (6:53.101)
4. Oklahoma (7:12.007)
Second Varsity Four
1. Tennessee (7:12.677)
2. Texas (7:14.285)
3. Alabama (7:36.244)
4. Oklahoma (7:40.473)
First Varsity Four
1. Texas (7:06.227)
2. Tennessee (7:13.742)
3. Alabama (7:29.310)
4. Oklahoma (7:43.115)
Second Varsity Eight
1. Texas (6:18.810)
2. Tennessee (6:22.968)
3. Alabama (6:40.405)
4. Oklahoma (6:54.082)
First Varsity Eight
1. Tennessee (6:06.939)
2. Texas (6:08.400)
3. Oklahoma (6:23.646)
4. Alabama (6:24.228)
Points
- Tennessee — 79
- Texas — 75
- Alabama — 34
- Oklahoma — 32
