Stanford Opens 2026 Season at #1
Defending NCAA Division I national champion Stanford topped the Pocock CRCA preseason poll, earning 22 of 25 first-place votes. Yale, winner of the NCAA I Eight grand final was second, with two votes, and Texas was third, with one.
Stanford head coach Derek Byrnes enters his tenth season as the Farwell Family Director of Women’s Rowing having coached The Cardinal to NCAA titles (2023 and 2025). Stanford added 13 new recruits for the 2025-26 year.
Led by Coach of the Year Will Porter, Yale enters the 2026 spring racing season with nine new recruits from seven different countries, many with international racing experience.
“All these athletes have two things in common,” said Porter “They are passionate about their education and rowing.”
Texas finished third at last year’s NCAA championship with the youngest squad ever. This year, the Longhorns return eight athletes from the 2025 I Eight, seven from the II Eight, and four from the Four. Canadian Olympic medalist and Yale graduate Maya Meschkuleit joined Texas’ recruiting class of 17.
The Longhorns open the 2026 season the San Diego Crew Classic on March 28-29.
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