Big Ten Rowing Central

MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin women's rowing team kicks off postseason competition this weekend when it heads to Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis to race in the 2025 Big Ten Rowing Championships.

Seven different Badger boats will compete in a semifinal race on Saturday, May 17, before each boat advances to a petite or grand final race on Sunday, May 18. The top three boats in each heat will advance to the grand finals.

UW will face top competition from around the conference, including boats from historic Big Ten competitors Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Rutgers, as well as new B1G competitors UCLA, USC and Washington.

Before they hit the water, here are f(oar) things to know:

1 - CHAMPIONSHIP DETAILS: This marks the first year that the Big Ten Rowing Championships is a two-day event after UCLA, USC and Washington joined the conference prior to the 2024-25 season. Each team will race in one of two heats across seven boat classes – IV Eights, III Eights, III Fours, II Fours, I Fours, II Eights, I Eights – on Saturday to determine their placement in either the petite or grand final races for each boat class on Sunday. 

The winner of the 2025 Big Ten Rowing Championships will receive an automatic bid into the 22-team NCAA championships that take place May 30-June 1 at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New Jersey Additional Big Ten squads can earn NCAA bids as an at-large team. That announcement will come on Tuesday, May 20, at 4 p.m. CT via a streamed selection show at NCAA.com.

For additional information about the event, head to the Big Ten Rowing Central web page.

Last year, Wisconsin played host to the final eight-team championship at Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin. At the 2024 regatta, the Badgers placed sixth as a team, with the second varsity eight and third varsity four leading the way, finishing just out of the medals in fourth place in their respective races. 

2 - COMPETITOR CHECK-IN: Washington comes into the event as the top-ranked team at No. 2 in the latest Pocock CRCA poll, followed by Rutgers at No. 7, Michigan at No. 10, Indiana at No. 16, Ohio State at No. 17, USC at No. 23 and UCLA at No. 25. 

In 2024, Michigan won the B1G Championship team title and the automatic NCAA championships bid with 189 points. 

3 - LAST TIME OUT: The Badgers head into the weekend after racing at the B1G Invite on April 18-19 at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida. UW was led by the third varsity four, who finished in second place on the second day of racing. The third varsity four was also Wisconsin's top finisher on day one, placing third in its second race of the day.

Across two days and three rounds of racing, many Wisconsin boats increased their speed with each competition, including the third varsity four crew, which shaved nearly three seconds off its best time from day one in its final race of the weekend. 

Read the full day one and day two recaps of the regatta here. 

4- FOLLOW ALONG: Live results for this weekend's event can be found here.

Saturday's heats will be streamed live on B1G+, while Sunday's finals will also stream live on B1G+, but also air live on the Big Ten Network and the Fox Sports App.

The BTN broadcast features an all-star group of commentators including Wisconsin Big Ten champion and U.S. Olympian Grace Latz, who will act as a host alongside Dean Linke from the Big Ten's Chicago offices, as well as former Iowa head coach, world champion and Wisconsin rower Mandi Kowal, who will be doing play-by-play on-site in Indianapolis. Former Michigan rower and current New York Jets reporter Caroline Hendershot will also be featured on the broadcast as an on-site interviewer.

Big Ten Championships
May 17-18
Eagle Creek Park
Indianapolis
2000 meters

SATURDAY, MAY 17 (Times are ET and subject to change)
*Wisconsin's heats only – the full schedule can be found here
Wisconsin, UCLA, Ohio State, Washington, Indiana, Iowa
8:02 a.m. - I Eights (Heat #1)

Wisconsin, Michigan State, UCLA, Washington, Indiana, Minnesota
8:22 a.m. - II Eights (Heat #1)

Wisconsin, Michigan State, Minnesota, Washington, Ohio State, USC
8:42 a.m. - I Fours (Heat #1)

Wisconsin, Indiana, Rutgers, Michigan, USC
9:12 a.m. - II Fours (Heat #2)

Wisconsin, USC, Minnesota, Washington, Ohio State
9:22 a.m. - III Fours (Heat #1)

Wisconsin, Indiana, USC, Washington, Michigan, Michigan State
9:42 a.m. - III Eights (Heat #1)

Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State, Michigan, Iowa
10:12 a.m. - IV Eights (Heat #2)

SUNDAY, MAY 18 (Times are ET and subject to change)
Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Washington 
9:02 a.m. - IV Eights Petite
9:14 a.m. - IV Eights Final
9:26 a.m. - III Eights Petite
9:38 a.m. - III Eights Final
9:50 a.m. - III Fours Petite
10:02 a.m.  III Fours Final
10:14 a.m. - II Fours Petite
10:26 a.m. - II Fours Final
10:38 a.m. - I Fours Petite
10:50 a.m. - I Fours Final
11:02 a.m. - II Eights Petite
11:14 a.m. - II Eights Final
11:26 a.m. - I Eights Petite
11:38 a.m. - I Eights Final
1 p.m. - Awards Ceremony