F(oar) things to know: Badgers set for Big Ten rowing championships

BIG TEN ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS CENTRAL || RACING SCHEDULE

MADISON, Wis. – Final preparations are underway on Lake Mendota for the 2026 Big Ten Rowing Championships that take place this Saturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17, at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis.

Here are f(oar) things to know before the Badgers hit the water for their conference championships.

1 - B1G COVERAGE – Sunday's finals day of the 2026 Big Ten Rowing Championships will air live on BTN with some familiar faces calling the action beginning at 8 a.m. CT. Among those are 2016 Olympian, Big Ten champion and former Badger Grace Latz, as well as three-time world champion and former Badger Mandi Kowal, who will both serve as part of the broadcast team.

The broadcast team calls the action on Saturday on the B1G+ stream beginning 8 a.m. as well.

For those attending the event, click here for spectator information including admission and parking.

2 - SCOUTING THE BADGERS – Led by third-year head coach Vicky Opitz, who is a former All-American, Big Ten champion, four-time world champion and two-time U.S. Olympic alternate, among other accolades, Wisconsin enters the Conference championships looking to peak and show gained speed from its time on the water this spring.

The Badgers got on the water and competed for the first time this spring at the Cardinal Invite on March 14 and 15 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The crew also raced at the San Diego Crew Classic (March 28-29), the Big Ten Invitational (April 18-19) in Gold River, California, and the Twin Cities 2K (May 2) in St. Paul, Minnesota, as well as a scrimmage against San Diego State (April 4).

3 - SCORING SYSTEM – Boats from the 11 Big Ten schools will compete in seven events, including first eights, second eights, first fours, second fours, third eights, third fours and fourth eights. The Big Ten champion becomes the team with the most cumulative points.

The 11 schools competing include No. 4 Washington, No. 12 Rutgers, No. 16 Ohio State, No. 17 Michigan, No. 18 UCLA, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, USC and the Badgers.

BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS SCORING
Race: Place	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th
I Eights	132	120	108	96	84	72	60	48	36	24	12
II Eights	88	80	72	64	56	48	40	32	24	16	8
I Fours	44	40	36	32	28	24	20	16	12	8	4
II Fours	33	30	27	24	21	18	15	12	9	6	3
III Eights	22	20	18	16	14	12	10	8	6	4	2
III Fours	22	20	18	16	14	12	10	8	6	4	2
IV Eights	11	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1

4 - B1G HISTORY – Competing in the 26th Big Ten championships, Wisconsin sits among the six schools in Conference history who own Big Ten rowing titles. The Badgers won the 2010 title and went on to place a program-best seventh at the NCAA championships that season under then-head coach Bebe Bryans.

Washington, led by former Badger Yasmin Farooq, enters as the highest-ranked school and as the defending champion.

UP NEXT - The 2026 NCAA Rowing Championships take place on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia, and run May 29-31. The Big Ten rowing championships winner earns an automatic bid to the 24-team field, while the rest of the Conference will await the NCAA selection show that airs on Tuesday, May 19 at 4 p.m. at NCAA.com

University of Wisconsin Athletics

F(oar) things to know: Badgers set for Big Ten rowing championships

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