Syracuse women’s rowing opens up 2026/27 season at Tail of the Fish Invitational 

By: Jack Knight | @Jack_On_Sports

After a program-best ninth-place finish at last year’s NCAA Championships, where all three of the Orange’s boats advanced to the A/B semifinal, SU got back out on the water to begin its new chapter. 

The Cuse’s 2026/27 slate features a much lighter fall schedule, just two regattas compared to 12 in 2027, so head coach Luke McGee had to make his squads’ reps count. 

The first round of Orange boats went out at 10:40 AM, racing against ARION Elite (Advanced Rowing Initiative of the Northeast). While there were five SU boats compared to just two for ARION, Syracuse didn’t win the heat. ARION’s A boat (top boat) finished at 10:53.550, nearly 45 seconds faster than SU’s A boat (11:33.067). And both of ARION’s boats finished inside of the top four. 

SU’s top two boats, the A and C boats, finished just mere seconds apart from each other. But the Orange’s back two boats (D, E) crossed in the last two spots of the heat. 

But in Syracuse’s second heat of the day at 12:40 AM, the Orange set the tone for another strong season on the water. 

ARION’s A boat was scratched before the race, leaving five Syracuse boats to just a single ARION racer. And the Orange capitalized: not only did the ‘Cuse’s A boat win the race at 11:30.836, all two boats finished before the first ARION boat. SU’s C boat finished just less than 10 seconds after the highest-placed ARION boat.

Syracuse was punched in the mouth in its early-morning heat. Just two hours later, the Orange responded emphatically.  

Syracuse next heads to Cornell on November 7th. But make sure to follow my X account, @Jack_On_Sports, for everything SU women’s rowing in the meantime.