Story Links
PENNSAUKEN, NJ (May 17, 2026) – The Jacksonville University Dolphins won the 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women’s Rowing Championship on Sunday morning at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken Township, NJ. The Dolphins secured the title by accumulating 35 total points, claiming their fourth championship in the past five seasons and the program’s ninth overall conference title since 2014. Jacksonville, which entered the championship as the top overall seed, took gold in the Varsity Eight and Second Varsity Eight, while winning silver in the Varsity Four.
The morning began with the Second Varsity Four, which is not factored into the team scoring but medals. Jacksonville A boat took first place (07:50.070) and Jacksonville B boat came in second place (07:54.643), while Marist A boat came in third place (07:56.512).
Marist jumped out to the early lead, taking gold in the first team scoring race of the day, the Varsity Four. The Red Foxes crossed the finish line first at 07:29.468, followed by Jacksonville with a runner-up finishing time of 07:32.810, and Sacred Heart in third place, finishing the event in 07:35.579.
In the Second Varsity Eight, the Dolphins earned their second gold medal of the morning and took a one point lead over the Red Foxes on the team leaderboard. Jacksonville finished the race in a time of 06:48.493 to win the gold. Second place finisher, Marist, completed the race in 06:51.106 and Sacred Heart came in third place with a time of 06:53.333.
The last final of the day and the highest scoring event was the Varsity Eight. Jacksonville would reclaim its spot atop of the podium in the race after a third place finish a year ago, clocking in a gold medal time of 06:43.185. Sacred Heart would capture the silver medal, finishing in 06:46.238, while the bronze medal went to Marist who completed the race in 06:46.347.
Championship runner-up Marist, finished with 28 points, collecting one gold, one silver, and one bronze during finals. Sacred Heart finished in third place on the team leaderboard, scoring 27 points behind a silver and a pair of bronze medals. Fairfield, the 2025 Champions, finished fourth with 14 points.
The 2026 MAAC Women’s Rowing All-MAAC Teams can be found below:
Jacksonville earns the MAAC automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division I Women’s Rowing Championship. The Dolphins will learn who they will compete against on Tuesday, May 19 at 5:00 p.m. when the complete field is revealed during the NCAA Selection Show which will broadcast live on NCAA.com.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
Stay up to date with the MAAC on social media by following @MAACSports on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn or visit MAACSports.com for all the latest MAAC news.