After qualifying three boats for Saturday’s Grand Finals, the No. 14 Hurricanes capped off a historic weekend on Lake Wheeler with a fifth-place finish in the conference standings — a massive jump from last year’s 11th-place result.
That momentum has been building all season, and finally came to a head in Raleigh, N.C. at what could be the Canes’ final showing of the season.
Miami’s first varsity eight continued its record-breaking campaign Friday, posting a 6:17.64 in qualifying heats to punch its ticket to the Grand Final while beating Clemson, Louisville and Notre Dame. The time shattered the previous program record — which the same crew had set just weeks earlier at the Lake Wheeler Invitational.
The 1V8 crew of Scarlett Pringle, Naroa Zubimendi Varela, Jovana Stanivuk, Samantha Premerl, Mallory Sullivan, Esther Fuerte Chacón, Candela Martínez Pernas, Maria Sole Perugino and Beatrice Ravini Perelli has become one of the defining stories of Miami’s season — and they backed it up again Saturday with a fifth-place finish in the Grand Final against one of the deepest fields in the country.
The Hurricanes’ second varsity eight also delivered a standout performance, qualifying for the Grand Final Friday before finishing fifth Saturday with a time of 6:32.99 — ahead of Duke and just behind a stacked lineup featuring Stanford, Virginia, Syracuse and Cal.
Miami’s third varsity eight rounded out the trio of Grand Final qualifiers after opening racing Friday by beating Louisville, Duke and SMU. The boat returned Saturday to compete in the conference final against multiple nationally ranked programs.
The results capped off what has arguably been the most impressive season in program history.
The Hurricanes have set multiple program records across all five boats this year while collecting eight wins over ranked opponents — including four top-15 victories.
Head coach James Mulcahy emphasized just how much the team has evolved throughout the season, pointing to Miami’s ability to improve week after week against elite competition.
And the numbers back it up.
In arguably one of the toughest rowing conferences in the nation, Miami finished fifth overall behind only Stanford, Virginia, California and Syracuse — all top-10 programs nationally.
For senior Naroa Zubimendi Varela, who earned second-team All-ACC honors Saturday, the turnaround says everything about the work this team has put in.
“I think we’ve shown how much we’ve improved from last year,” Zubimendi Varela said. “Going from 11th [last year] to fifth [this year], that shows how much work we’ve put in all year.”
Now, the Hurricanes head back to Coral Gables waiting to learn whether their historic season will continue at the NCAA Championships — something that would mark the program’s first-ever NCAA bid.