SMU rowing will begin its 2026 spring season at the Sarasota 2K, taking place March 27-28 at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida. The event marks the first competitive meet of the year for the Mustangs.
The Sarasota 2K is an important early-season test for SMU and provides an opportunity to compete against a large field of collegiate programs. The Mustangs have participated at Nathan Benderson Park annually since 2023 during the Big Ten Invite.
This year’s competition includes teams such as Drexel, Tulsa, Dartmouth, Boston College, High Point, Old Dominion, Jacksonville, UCF, Iowa, Louisville, Michigan State, Miami, Kansas, Kansas State, West Virginia, Albany, UMass and UNC. Racing will begin Friday afternoon with several events scheduled between 2:20 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., with additional races on Saturday.
A member of SMU’s team was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Preseason Watch List by the conference. The ACC remains unique as it is currently the only conference with a preseason rowing watch list that features one student-athlete from each program nominated by their schools.
Following this weekend’s regatta in Sarasota, SMU will travel to Orlando for its next competition at the UCF Invite on April 17-18. Later in April they are set to participate in the Lake Wheeler Invitational hosted by Duke before heading into postseason events including the ACC Championship May 15-16 and NCAA Championship May 29 through June 1.
