Light the Tower: Texas Rowing Wins 3rd NCAA Championship
The UT Tower will shine with burnt orange lights and “1” displayed on its sides on Friday, August 30 to celebrate Texas Rowing winning the NCAA Championship.
Texas Rowing won the national title in June and will now gather at the Tower for a team photo. Per campus tradition, the University recognizes UT sports programs who win a national team championship with a burnt orange lighting of the campus landmark with the number “1” appearing on the building’s four sides.
Texas became just the third program to win three NCAA titles over a four-year stretch, joining Brown (1999-2000, ’02) and Ohio State (2013-15). It’s also the first time Texas has won two events at the same national championship.
The Longhorns totaled a program-record of 130 total points, three points ahead of runner-up Stanford (127). In a thrilling race from start-to-finish, UT earned the win in the First Eight over Stanford, the final race of the day, to solidify the national crown under light precipitation. With the win, Texas’ First Eight has gone undefeated in three of the last four seasons.
“That was spectacular racing by all three crews, and I could not be more proud of this team,” said head coach Dave O’Neill. “They did something very special today, and it all started with our first team meeting back in August. I give them a lot of credit for buying in, doing the work and making each other better every step of the way.”