NCAA Division II rowing championship


The NCAA Division II rowing championship is the annual regatta hosted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to determine the champions of women's collegiate heavyweight rowing among its Division [II (NCAA)|Division II] member programs in the United States.
The most successful program has been Western Washington, with nine titles.
The most successful conference has been the GNAC, producing 15 of the 23 champions. Similarly, the only two years a GNAC team was not in the top two at the least was 2013 and 2015.
The reigning champion is Embry-Riddle, which won its first ever team national title in 2025.
By the early 2020s, sponsorship levels for women's rowing in Division II had dropped to the point that the future of D-II women's rowing itself was in danger. In 2024–25, only 11 Division II members sponsored the sport, with three others adding the sport for 2025–26. Both numbers are well below the 35 programs needed for continued sponsorship of a D-II championship. The 2024–25 season was the first of a three-year grace period before the championship would have been discontinued. With that as a backdrop, legislation was proposed in 2025 that would exempt women's rowing from the 35-program limit. If the proposal had not been approved, the D-II rowing championship would would have been discontinued after the 2026–27 school year, and because Divisions I and III have their own championships, D-II rowing schools would have had no NCAA championship access. This legislation was approved by D-II members at the 2026 NCAA convention.
WWW Official Site

Format

The NCAA Division II Women's Rowing Championships comprise 68 total competitors and two events, varsity eights and fours. Four teams are selected, each of which is required to field an eight and a four. Two additional at-large schools are selected to field only an eight. The following criteria are used in selecting teams and individual boats:
  • Regional ranking; regional championship results.
  • Results against regionally ranked teams; results against teams already selected; results against common opponents.
  • Head-to-head competition; late-season performance.
  • Eligibility and availability of student-athletes.

Scoring

  • Eights: 1st-12pts, 2nd-9pts, 3rd-6pts, 4th-5pts.
  • Fours: 1st-8pts, 2nd-6pts, 3rd-4pts.