The Stetson men's and women's rowing teams are excited to get their season underway as the women's team will start this Saturday March 2^nd in DeLand against Michigan State. The men's team will return to competition the following weekend March 9^th in DeLand with the Hatter Invitational.

"We're really excited to race this spring.  Our freshmen have made an immediate impact and our returners have continued to develop.  Our women's team has made some good changes since the beginning of the spring semester and we're looking forward to seeing how that will translate onto the water," stated head coach Jamie Francis. 

The women's team looks to improve upon their 5^th place finish in MAAC Conference at last year's championships. Currently in the just released MAAC Women's Rowing Preseason Coaches' Poll the Hatters were picked to finish 5^th receiving 62 points, just behind Fairfield and Sacred Heart, who both received 79 points. The MAAC Championship is May 19^th in Pennsauken Township New Jersey on the Cooper River. "The MAAC Conference continues to grow in size and speed.  We'll see several of the top MAAC teams prior to the championship and that will give us an idea where we are relative to the field, said Francis.

Stetson has fifteen student-athletes returning who competed in last year's MAAC Championship. Stetson brought a varsity 8 (returners: Cassandra Bradley, Gillian Dodge, Asia Erickson, Julia Hickey, Ana Cumming, Savannah Clarke), a second varsity 8 (returners: Sarah Sessions, Mallory Holland, Hannah Hardey, Cailin Mitchell, Emma Rees, Jocalyn Ortega, Maia Starrwalker) and a varsity 4 (returners: Taylor Hufford, Katrina Early, Eileen Seif).
 

2024 Women's Rowing Preseason Coaches' Poll
1	Jacksonville	98 (8)
2	Marist	84 (1)
T3	Fairfield	79
T3	Sacred Heart	79
5	Stetson	62
6	Canisius	54
7	Drake	45
8	Iona	33
9	Robert Morris	28
10	LIU	19
11	Manhattan	13

 
Coming off their Head of the Charles victory, featuring Sacha Roiena, Endrik Brettmann, Lukasz Bajorek, Matthew Franks and Bennett Rossell (Coxswain), the men look to continue the momentum into the spring. The team will start their spring schedule hosting the Hatter Invitational on Saturday March 9^th and then the DeLand Double Duels the following Saturday March 16. Their competition season will feature the SIRA Championship on April 20-21 and Dad Vail Regatta May 10-11. The finale on the men's schedule is the IRA Championship Regatta on May 31-June 2^nd.

"The men's team is looking to springboard off of our Head of the Charles win and see if we can turn that into an IRA bid," said Francis. "On the men's side we'll look to SIRA and Dad Vail to attempt to qualify the eight for IRA's.  We've seen good speed so far and we'll need to make sure everyone stays healthy and ready to race."

One race on the schedule to mark your calendars for is the March 16^th DeLand Double Duels as Stetson will host 8 different schools featuring a combined thirteen men's and women's teams. Stetson rowing has partnered with the Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience to host the Aquatic Center Fest. Along with the racing and other festivities, Stetson will look to honor the 11 seniors.

FULL WOMEN'S SCHEDULE
FULL MEN'S SCHEDULE

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS.

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