BETHEL, Ohio – Central Oklahoma finished third at the 2024 NCAA Division II Rowing National Championships Saturday morning. The Bronchos raced to third place finishes in both the Varsity 4+ and Varsity 8+ Grand Finals to earn 20 team points in the championship.
Western Washington won the team title. The Vikings took first in the Varsity 8+ and fifth in Varsity 4+ to score 22 team points. Mercyhurst, which finished second in the eights and fourth in the fours, earned 21 team points to edge out UCO for a national runner-up finish.
Cal Poly Humboldt finished fourth (19 points), Seattle Pacific finished fifth (15 points) and Embry-Riddle finished sixth (eight points) to round out the championship.
The Varsity 4+ Grand Final was first. UCO, which finished second in heat racing before winning the repechage race on Friday, took a third-place finish with a time of 7:57.46 to collect eight team points. The Bronchos were 11 seconds back of SPU and seven seconds back of Humboldt. UCO topped Mercyhurst's fours by 10 seconds.
The Varsity 8+ final was not as spread out.
Western Washington crossed the finish line first in 6:57.61, then Mercyhurst at 7:00.99 and UCO at 7:01.72 before Humboldt at 7:02.87. All four boats within five seconds of each other.
Central's 0.8 second margin behind Mercyhurst proved to be the difference in the Bronchos winning a fourth national title. UCO collected 12 team points for a third-place finish in the eights. Had the Bronchos finished second – 0.8 seconds sooner – it would have been 15 team points for a total of 23 and a national title.
But a third-place finish was the result, both in the eights and the team standings. Central Oklahoma came into the national championships ranked third in the country. This season is the seventh time UCO has finished third or better at the national championships. All of those finishes have come in the last eight seasons.
Team Standings
1. Western Washington, 22 points
2. Mercyhurst, 21 points
3. Central Oklahoma, 20 points
4. Cal Poly Humboldt, 19 points
5. Seattle Pacific, 15 points
6. Embry-Riddle, 8 points
Saturday's Races
V8+ Grand Final
Western Washington (6:57.61), 18 points
Mercyhurst (7:00.99), 15 points
Central Oklahoma (7:01.72), 12 points
Cal Poly Humboldt (7:02.87), 9 points
V8+ Petite Final
Embry-Riddle (7:03.89), 6 points
Seattle Pacific (7:12.53), 3 points
V4+ Grand Final
Seattle Pacific (7:46.39), 12 points
Cal Poly Humboldt (7:50.41), 10 points
Central Oklahoma (7:57.46), 8 points,
Mercyhurst (8:07.71), 6 points
V4+ Petite Final
Western Washington (8:03.57), 4 points
Embry-Riddle (8:08.69), 2 points
