Spartans Begin 2026 Rowing Season in Sarasota

Friday, March 27

Nathan Benderson Park; Sarasota, Fla.

Michigan State University

Sarasota 2K

3/25/2026 6:38:00 PM | Women's Rowing

East Lansing, Mich. -- Michigan State rowing begins its 2026 season this weekend, participating in the Sarasota 2K at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida.

The Sarasota 2K Regatta is the first races for many crews in the beginning of the rowing season, bringing together the finest Championship Mens & Womens collegiate schools, and Florida rowing schools in a spectacular 2K Sprint event. The Championship Mens and Championship Womens teams will compete for the annual Benderson Cups, to be presented to the team that has been awarded the greatest number of points.

Important Links: Video Webstream | Schedule/ Live Results | Sarasota 2K Event Website

Michigan State will send five boats to Sarasota - the "NCAA Boats" (varsity eight, second varsity eight, and varsity four), along with a second four and a third varsity eight, which, for Big Ten schools, is comprised solely of novice/first-year rowers.

Friday racing begins for the Spartans at 2:10 pm, with the second varsity four race, where the Spartans will line up with Dartmouth, Drexel, High Point, and Louisville. In the third varsity eight, the Spartans will face Dartmouth, Kansas, Kansas State, and Miami. Michigan State will face the same schools in the NCAA boats in its Friday heats: the Spartans will race Albany, Jacksonville, Iowa, UCF, UMass, and West Virginia in heat one. Other participating schools in the NCAA boats will be Boston College, Dartmouth, Drexel, High Point, Southern Methodist, and Tulsa (heat two), and Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, and Old Dominion (heat three). Saturday racing of Grand Finals, Petite Finals and Third-Level finals in all boat classes begins at 8 am.

Michigan State is anchored by seniors Alice Bradley, Jillian Cox, Emily Crofut, Lillian Davidson-Walshe, Kate Galazin, Kate Heinecke, Maddie Kieft, Sarah Lawrence, Alaina Roush, Jayden Schmaltz, and Ava Woodard. A total of 23 rowers return from the boats that competed at the Big Ten Championships last season, including 12 sophomores who rowed in MSU's novice or second novice eight at Big Tens. Kieft earned All-America honors a year ago, and both she and Ugne Rudaityte were mainstays in the varsity eight who earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors.

Nathan Benderson Park has one of the top courses in North America, identified as having all of the natural attributes that make up a premiere rowing facility. The park began hosting organized regatta competitions in 2009 and has since hosted multiple NCAA Rowing Championships, Olympic rowing team trials, youth regattas, team trainings, and USRowing's Youth Nationals.

Friday Racing Schedule (MSU Races only)

2:10 pm | Second Varsity Four
Progression: Top Two to Grand Final; Next Two to Petite Final, rest to Third-Level Final
Crews: High Point, Drexel, Louisville, Dartmouth, Michigan State

2:40 pm | Third Varsity/ Novice Eight
Top three to Grand Final, rest to Petite Final
Crews: Kansas, Michigan State, Dartmouth, Miami, Kansas State

3:30 pm | Varsity Four
Progression: Top Two to Grand Final; Next Two to Petite Final, rest to Third-Level Final
Crews: Albany, Jacksonville, Iowa, UCF, Michigan State, UMass, West Virginia

4 pm | Second Varsity Eight
Progression: Top Two to Grand Final; Next Two to Petite Final, rest to Third-Level Final
Crews: Albany, Jacksonville, Iowa, UCF, Michigan State, UMass, West Virginia

4:50 pm | Varsity Eight
Progression: Top Two to Grand Final; Next Two to Petite Final, rest to Third-Level Final
Crews: Albany, Jacksonville, Iowa, UCF, Michigan State, UMass, West Virginia