When Miami’s first varsity eight pushed off the dock Friday morning, it became the first Hurricanes crew in program history to compete at the NCAA Championships.
A few minutes later, the crew added another chapter to the record book.
Scarlett Pringle, Naroa Zubimendi Varela, Jovana Stanivuk, Samantha Premerl, Mallory Sullivan, Esther Fuerte Chacón, Candela Martinez Pernas, Maria Sole Perugino and Beatrice Ravini Perelli crossed the finish line in 6:09.93, breaking the school record they had set just weeks earlier at the ACC Championships and setting the tone for a historic weekend at Lake Lanier Olympic Park.
The No. 13 Hurricanes arrived at the NCAA Championships as first-time participants. They left as the 13th-best team in the country after a three-day performance that featured multiple school records, two Petite Final appearances and a program-defining debut on collegiate rowing’s biggest stage.
Friday morning alone saw all three of Miami’s competing boats rewrite the record book.
The first varsity four of Maria Mastrando, Nicole Wyszynski, Holly Prichard, Grace Gaskill and Layla Jolley fought past No. 12 UCF and No. 17 Columbia to secure a place in the A/B semifinals while breaking the program record with a time of 7:03.17. The second varsity eight followed suit, posting a then-school-record 6:15.24 to advance to the A/B semifinals ahead of Oregon State, Boston University and Jacksonville.
Hours later, with severe weather forcing NCAA officials to move Saturday’s semifinal races to Friday afternoon, Miami was back on the water.
The Hurricanes’ first varsity eight continued its strong showing, finishing second in its C/D semifinal to earn a place in Sunday’s C Final. Meanwhile, both the second varsity eight and first varsity four secured spots in their respective Petite Finals after lining up against some of the fastest crews in the nation.
“Semifinals at NCAA’s are always some of the most compelling races this sport has to offer,” head coach James Mulcahy said. “Us getting to line up against the top teams in the country and experience firsthand their speed was a great step in our team’s development.”
By the time Sunday arrived, Miami had already made history — but the Hurricanes weren’t finished yet.
The first varsity eight capped the weekend with another record-breaking performance, crossing the line in 6:02.54 in the C Final to lower its own school record for the second time in three days. The time was good for fourth place in the race and helped Miami secure a 13th-place finish in the final team standings.
The second varsity eight and first varsity four each closed their seasons in the Petite Finals, competing against programs that have become regular fixtures at the NCAA Championships. For Miami, however, simply reaching those races represented another step forward in a season defined by milestones.
“For us to finish 13th in our debut is a really strong result,” Mulcahy said. “We finished ahead of other at-large teams. We finished ahead of other conference champions.”
“We had a good showing.”
That showing was the culmination of a season unlike any in program history. The Hurricanes earned their first NCAA Championship berth, reached the highest national ranking in program history and consistently proved they belonged among the nation’s elite crews.
By the end of the weekend, they had done more than simply make their NCAA debut.
They had established a new benchmark for what Miami rowing can be.
