Tufts Women's Rowing Wins Third Straight NCAA Title

The Tufts University women's rowing team just became rowing royalty, clinching their third straight NCAA Championship with a perfect performance that left competitors trailing in their wake. On a compressed Friday schedule at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Georgia, the Jumbos proved that excellence doesn't need extra time to prepare.

Weather forced organizers to move Saturday's races to Friday, meaning Tufts had to compete in four races in a single day instead of spreading them across two. The challenge didn't slow them down one bit.

Their first and second varsity eights won every heat and every final they entered. The team posted a perfect 56 points for the second year running, cruising to victory margins of four to nine seconds in each race.

Coxswain Hannah Jiang led the first varsity eight to its third consecutive title, steering a boat that included four seniors earning their third championship rings. Rose Tinkjian, Emma Lyle, and Sami Haynes joined Jiang in that exclusive three-peat club.

The second varsity eight, guided by coxswain Maddie Rosato, powered through their Grand Final despite hitting a late crab (when an oar catches awkwardly in the water). They still crossed the finish line first with a time of 6:35.056, securing 16 crucial points toward the team total.

The Ripple Effect

This victory places Tufts among elite company in NCAA rowing history. Only two other programs have achieved three or more consecutive national championships: Williams College with eight straight titles from 2006 to 2013, and Bates College with four from 2017 to 2021.

The championship caps an extraordinary year for the program under Coach Lily Siddall. The Jumbos also won their third straight Head of the Charles Collegiate Eights championship and their fourth consecutive National Invitational Rowing Championships Points Trophy.

The success ripples beyond the boathouse too. Tufts women's rowing joined field hockey, men's soccer, and men's lacrosse as national champions during the 2025-26 academic year, making it a banner season for the entire athletic department.

When excellence becomes a habit, everyone around it rises.