The NCAA Division II rowing championship is the annual regatta hosted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to determine the champions of women's collegiate heavyweight (or openweight) rowing among its Division II member programs in the United States.
The most successful program has been Western Washington, with nine titles.
The most successful conference has been the GNAC, producing 15 of the 23 champions. Similarly, the only two years a GNAC team was not in the top two at the least was 2013 and 2015.
The reigning champion is Embry-Riddle, which won its first ever team national title in 2025.
By the early 2020s, sponsorship levels for women's rowing in Division II had dropped to the point that the future of D-II women's rowing itself was in danger. In 2024–25, only 11 Division II members sponsored the sport, with three others adding the sport for 2025–26. Both numbers are well below the 35 programs needed for continued sponsorship of a D-II championship. The 2024–25 season was the first of a three-year grace period before the championship would have been discontinued. With that as a backdrop, legislation was proposed in 2025 that would exempt women's rowing (as well as women's field hockey, another sport that was in danger of dropping below the 35-program threshold) from the 35-program limit. If the proposal had not been approved, the D-II rowing championship would have been discontinued after the 2026–27 school year, and because Divisions I and III have their own championships, D-II rowing schools would have had no NCAA championship access. This legislation was approved by D-II members at the 2026 NCAA convention.
Format The NCAA Division II Women's Rowing Championships comprise 68 total competitors (86 including spares) and two events, varsity eights and fours. Four teams are selected, each of which is required to field an eight and a four. Two additional at-large schools are selected to field only an eight. The following criteria are used in selecting teams and individual boats:
Regional ranking; regional championship results. Results against regionally ranked teams; results against teams already selected; results against common opponents. Head-to-head competition; late-season performance. Eligibility and availability of student-athletes.
Scoring Eights: 1st-12pts, 2nd-9pts, 3rd-6pts, 4th-5pts. Fours: 1st-8pts, 2nd-6pts, 3rd-4pts.
Results NCAA Division II Rowing ChampionshipsYear Site(Host Team)Team ResultsIndividual ResultsChampionScoreRunner-upScoreFoursII EightsI Eights2002 Details Indianapolis, INUC Davis50Western Washington45Not heldUC DavisUC Davis2003 DetailsUC Davis (2)20Western Washington15UC DavisNot heldUC Davis (2)2004 Details Gold River, CAMercyhurst18Humboldt State17Humboldt StateMercyhurst2005 Details Western Washington20 Mercyhurst12Western Washington Western Washington2006 DetailsWest Windsor, NJWestern Washington (2)20 Barry15Western Washington (3)Western Washington (2)2007 DetailsOak Ridge, TNWestern Washington (3)20 UC San Diego15Western Washington (4)Western Washington (3)2008 DetailsGold River, CAWestern Washington (4)20 UC San Diego15Western Washington (5)Western Washington (4)2009 DetailsCherry Hill, NJWestern Washington (5)18 Mercyhurst13Nova SoutheasternWestern Washington (5)2010 Details Gold River, CAWestern Washington (6)20 Seattle Pacific11Western Washington (6)Mercyhurst (2)2011 DetailsWestern Washington (7)20 Mercyhurst13Western Washington (7)Western Washington (6)2012 DetailsWest Windsor, NJHumboldt State20Western Washington13Humboldt State (2)Humboldt State 2013 Details Indianapolis, INNova Southeastern20Barry15Nova Southeastern (2)Nova Southeastern2014 DetailsHumboldt State (2)16Nova Southeastern15Western Washington (8)Humboldt State (2)2015 Details Gold River, CABarry20 Mercyhurst15 Barry Barry 2016 Details Barry (2)20 Central Oklahoma15 Barry (2) Barry (2)2017 Details West Windsor, NJ Western Washington (8)17 Central Oklahoma16 Western Washington (9) Central Oklahoma2018 DetailsSarasota, FL Central Oklahoma 18 Western Washington 14 Western Washington (10) Central Oklahoma (2)2019 DetailsIndianapolis, IN Central Oklahoma (2) 30 Florida Tech 23 Central Oklahoma Central Oklahoma (3)2020 Canceled due to COVID-19 2021 DetailsSarasota, FLCentral Oklahoma (3)20Mercyhurst15 Central Oklahoma (2)Not held Central Oklahoma (4)2022 Details Mercyhurst (2) 30 Western Washington 19 Mercyhurst Mercyhurst (3)2023 Details Pennsauken, NJ(Temple)Cal Poly Humboldt (3)30Central Oklahoma25 Cal Poly Humboldt (3) Cal Poly Humboldt (3)2024 Details Bethel, OH(Marietta)Western Washington (9)22Mercyhurst21Seattle PacificWestern Washington (7)2025 Details West Windsor, NJ(Ivy & MAAC)Embry-Riddle26Cal Poly Humboldt24Cal Poly Humboldt (4)Embry-Riddle2026 Details Gainesville, GA(North Georgia)Western Washington (10)30Cal Poly Humboldt20Western Washington (11)Western Washington (8)2027Sarasota, FL(UCF)2028
Team champions Active programs Team #Years 10 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2017, 2024, 2026 3 2012, 2014, 2023 3 2018, 2019, 2021 2 2015, 2016 1 2025 1 2013
Former programs Team #Years 2 2004, 2022 2 2002, 2003
See also Intercollegiate Women's Varsity Eights Intercollegiate Rowing Association Women's Varsity Lightweight Eights Champions NCAA Division I Rowing Championship NCAA Division III Rowing Championship
References
External links NCAA Division II Rowing